Whispers In The Air
by AngieLuz
Summary: Set after the film. While a new enemy threatens the Earth, SHIELD must assemble the Avengers once more but with a shocking addition to the team: Loki and while in Midgard he encounters something he does not expect. Loki/OC/Steve
1. PROLOGUE

**Hello there, avid fanfiction readers! After a year and a half of not posting any stories I am back (Yes, I am aware many of you ignore who I am but I wanted to say that, ok? Ok)**

**So, anyways... this is my very first Avengers story. I've been writing it since before the movie came out (So you can imagine how much changing and editing I've had to do). Just to brag, I've watched the film 4 times (My sister calls it obsession, I call it devotion LOL) so, now that it's out all around the world I decided to start posting.**  
**Yeah, so... just a few clarifications: there will be a S.H.I.E.L.D. Tower mentioned in the future; it is not the same as Stark Tower and it is not the Avengers mansion and it is like a personal interpretation of the Avengers Compound, ok?**

**Oh, and as you can notice from the summary this is a Loki/OC/Steve fic but it will also have a little bit of Clint/OC action (The summary characters are way too few for me to explain everything there).**

**And as always, a disclaimer is needed so here you have it: I own absolutely nothing except for my original character which are Emma Jansen and Adrianna Moore (to appeare in the future). Everything related to the Avengers belongs to the incredible imagination of Stan Lee and of course the origin of all of this comes from Joss Whedon's and Zack Penn's amazing screenplay. Everything is owned by Marvel, otherwise I'd be rich and I wouldn't be posting this, right?. This is the result of loads of free time and a very wild imagination. I mean no harm or anything close to a lucrative purpose.**

**Just a note before getting on to the story: I use a lot of real Norse mythology (Those are some of the things you might not recognize but that aren't mine, sadly) and some comic book stuff so, please, cope with me... I'm getting a B.A. in History so involving a lot of mythology helps a hell of a lot :D**

**Anywhooooo... after this much rambling and with no further a due...**

**ENJOY!  
**

* * *

**WHISPERS IN THE AIR  
**

**PROLOGUE**

Asgard;

It was a stormy night when Tyr, the god of war walked across the realm, to the farthest end of the city to fulfill the duty he had sworn to maintain to the day of his death.  
Such was the task that no other Vanir or Aesir had dared to take on it, fearing the creature it involved.

As he descended from his horse and rushed to the fortress, the guard in charge bowed respectfully while the deity before him shook the rain drops from his cloak and removed his hood.

"How has he behaved?" Tyr interrogated the guard

"He has been awfully at ease, my lord… scarily so" The god of war could have sworn he saw the young guard tremble

"Fenrir" Tyr called as he reached the dark dungeon and stopped before the iron cell

"Tyr…" A voice that sounded both like a man's and a beast's answered "Have you come to mock at me once more? To see me in my greatest misery?"

"We are not all like you, Fenrir"

"Well, I could not help to enjoy killing that pretty Vanir… she kept pestering me"

"You and your army attacked Vanaheim, Fenrir, what did you expect the Vanir to do?"

"Surrender before me" The creature named Fenrir launched itself forward crashing against the bars. He saw Tyr stand there, unmovable and he scoffed "The day will come, Tyr, when this dwarf-made ribbon will break and I will be free…" Tyr narrowed his eyes "Free to destroy all of your kind… Aesir… free to conquer the Nine Realms…"

"I have not come here to listen to this nonsense, beast" Tyr dismissed tired of the creature's attitude

"No… you have come to feed me… like every year… for the past twenty six of them…" Fenrir growled lowly and menacingly

"I have, beast"

Neither of them spoke another word and while the young guard stood at a considerable distance, Tyr opened the magical lock that kept the prison closed, walked into the cell and extended his hand towards the beast.  
Magically, a serving of succulent food appeared on the god of war's hand and as he intended to insert it inside Fenrir's snout the creature did something he had never done in all of his twenty six years in imprisonment; he bit off Tyr's right hand.

Everything that happened next could be considered as chaos: Fenrir knocked Tyr unconscious and strode with his four paws to the young guard who tried frantically to defend himself.

"I am hungry, lad… I have been hungry for twenty six years… and I intend to satisfy that wish…" Fenrir threatened and then smiled wickedly. Fenrir threw himself at the poor guard and tore him to pieces. He then lost his beast-like shape and turned into a man ""And that is not the only wish I mean to appease"

* * *

"No!" Emma sat up in her bad after a bad dream had woken her up

Panting and looking around she gave a sigh of relief to see that it had been nothing more than that, a bad dream.

"But it felt so real… as if it had been actually happening…" She said and then rubbed her eyes "Don't be silly… it's just a dream… a stupid dream… too many horror movies… yes… that's what it was…"

Very determined with what she had said, she leaned back down but, being completely honest with herself, she barely had any more hours of sleep that night.

* * *

**So, here we go, people... I hope you like it and of course, wait for more... I'm already writing chapter 11 so the updates should be frequent.**  
**Thank you so much for reading and please, if I can borrow a little of your time, review and tell me what you think.**  
**Again, thanks and have a lovely lovely day... oh, and don't forget to assemble for the next chapter (OMG, that sounded so corny... and yet, as I'm typing it, I have no intention of erasing it MWAHAHA!)**  
**Tah-tah, my dearies ;)**

**Angie**  
**xoxoxo**


	2. 1 Cross My Heart And Hope To Die

**This posting thing is an addiction, I'm telling you...**

**Good day, beloved and loyal readers! I want to thank my first 3 reviewers for the taking the time to write a few words for me and also a thanks to all of you who read, favorited and alerted either me or my story; you guys rock!**

**Ok, so... a few things before we move on to the new chappie...**

**First: According to the prosaic Edda, Tyr is the norse god of war and Fenrir is a demonic wolf who happens to be one of Loki's offspring (this, of course, is not the case in this story, ok? LOL) so, Fenrir was a small cub and when the gods realized he was growing too much they decided to bound him so they used chains but, Fenrir being incredibly strong broke free from those normal chains so, Odin asked the dwarves to make a stronger chain, in result they made something that resembled a ribbon and it was called Gleipnir. It was made out of six very strange elements: the footstep of a cat; the roots of a mountain; a woman's beard; the breath of fishes; the sinews of a bear; and a bird's spittle. That was the only thing that kept him bounded but Tyr, being the only god brave enough to take care of him suffered the consequences; one day, while feeding him, Fenrir bit off Tyr's right hand.**  
**It is said that Fenrir will break free in the Ragnarök and will kill Odin and Vidar, one of Odin's sons will avange his father's death by slaying the beast.**  
**Of course, I only used details from it, otherwise it wouldn't fit with the Avengers storyline, right?**

**The second one has spoilers so in case you haven't seen the film I suggest you stop reading right now...**

**.**

...

...

...

.

**Last chance...**

**.**

...

.

**Ok, here it goes:  
When I watched the film I absolutely cried my eyes out like a baby because Coulson died. Yes, he died! (Although I refuse to believe it and that is why I am saying this) I took the advantage of that part of the plot so that I could use it for my OC. Now, he does appear and he's very much alive but I do mention he was hurt and that he ALMOST died so... I hope you don't mind me changing that... BECAUSE I REFUSE TO BELIEVE HIS DEAD!**

**What else...?  
I don't think there's much more to say right now so... I'll just stop talking and grant you with the next chapter ;)  
Thanks again.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE - CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO DIE**

It was a sunny autumn day in Manhattan. The people came and went minding their own business; trying to keep up with their very hectic lives; nothing unusual for them, of course this being, after all, New York.

In the west side of Central Park, a group of toddlers played in the playground while their mothers watched them as they chatted amongst each other.

"Did you see the dress Mary Walcott wore last Monday? It was dreadful!" One of them said

"She can be so vulgar" Another one added

"I heard her husband is about to declare himself bankrupted" A third one pointed out

"No wonder why she's dressing like that" The first of them mocked and they all laughed

Their children played in the make-believe castle when one of them, a small girl with blonde pigtails, walked away from the group, seeing a dog behind some bushes.

"Come here, doggie…" The little girl called sweetly "Here, here…"

At the benches, the girl's mother noticed her absence "Betty? Betty! Betty! Oh my God! Where's Betty?" She exclaimed standing up and rushing to where the other kids were "Where is she?"

"Mommy! Mommy!" Betty called for her mother "Come look! I found a doggie!"

"Sweetheart, don't do that! I told you to…" The woman had started reprimanding her daughter but stopped in her tracks as she approached to where the girl was and saw the dog that was in front of her "Betty… stay away from that dog"

"But mommy, he's my friend" Betty protested

But the woman didn't care. Just by seeing the animal she knew it was no good "Betty, I won't say it again"

Then, the dog looked up at her and the woman could have sworn it smirked maliciously while his eyes turned bright red.

"No!" She screamed launching herself forward, protecting her daughter from the beast

The dog was growling and after howling a cloud of smoke of the same color as his eyes surrounded him and while he disappeared the smoke didn't. The cloud expanded until it had covered at least one third of Central Park, intoxicating everything and everyone it had contact with.

"Mommy…" Betty managed to say before passing out in her mother's arms

"Betty…"

* * *

Agent Phil Coulson stood with his arms folded across his chest, staring up at the tenths of screens in front of him. Agents and subordinates worked around him but he didn't seem to mind them; he was waiting for his boss to arrive.

"Coulson" His boss' characteristic voice called from the entrance of the monitoring hall

"Coronel Fury" The agent replied

"What news on the hazardous cloud in Central Park?" Fury asked

"We have a team on site, sir"

"Is Dr. Jansen aware of the situation?"

"She is, sir"

"I want to talk to her. We need to plan the proper protocol for this situation. Ask her to come up"

"Uhmm… sir?"

"Do you have a problem, Coulson?"

"Well… Dr. Jansen… she's not in the Helicarrier, sir"

"Where is she then?" Fury asked with… well, fury but Coulson didn't answer; he only glanced at one of the screen behind the coronel and shrugged ever-so-slightly "Call her"

"But sir…" Coulson objected

"Now, Coulson"

"Yes, sir" Coulson instructed one of the agents under his command to communicate with Dr. Jansen immediately

"Jansen" Her voice came through the intercoms above them

"Dr. Jansen, it's Agent Coulson"

"What is it, Coulson? We're in the middle of recovering bio hazardous evidence here; you are not the most opportune man, did you know that?" She told him

"Well… it's…" Coulson started but Fury interrupted him

"Jansen" He said

"Coronel, how nice of you to call! How can I be of service?" She asked somewhat sardonically

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Jansen" He warned

"Are you ever?" She replied lower hoping he wouldn't have heard her but he did

"I heard that, Jansen"

"I'm sure you did… look, coronel, I'm in the middle of something, would you mind if I called you back later? No? Oh, great, thanks, bye!" And with that, she hung up without letting him say anything else

"Jansen… Jansen!" Fury called outraged and turned to look at Coulson "Remind me to kill her when she returns"

"Yes, sir" Coulson said trying to suppress a smile "What now, sir?"

"Prepare a helicopter. We're heading to the Tower. I'm going assemble the Avengers"

* * *

In Manhattan, the S.H.I.E.L.D. team led by Dr. Jansen worked for 6 exhausting hours closing the perimeter in an enormous bubble-like sealed tent, evacuating the victims and taking them to the agency's infirmary premises, gathering evidence and recovering all the toxic residues in the place.

"This is not good" Dr. Jansen said to herself walking around measuring the radiation levels. She, as everyone on her team wore special sealed suits to protect themselves "Smith!" She called one of her subordinates

"Yes, doctor?" Agent Smith rushed to her

"Are the victims ready for transportation?" She asked without looking up; she continued to stare down at the screen of her tablet

"Yes, doctor. But… one of the women…"

"Anna Connors" Dr. Jansen corrected

"Yes, Anna Connors; we don't think she's going to make it" This made her look up

"What makes you say that, Smith?"

"Well, according to our reconstruction she was the one to receive the initial blast from the toxin, along with her daughter"

"Then let's not waste any more time, agent. We are taking them to the Head Quarters" Dr. Jansen commanded handing him the tablet and heading towards the exit

"But… doctor… Coronel Fury said we should establish a hospital ward in the perimeter and not risk contagion" Smith protested

"Well, I don't care about what Coronel Fury said. I am not risking their lives by leaving them out here. We are taking them to the Tower and that's my final word"

"But… Coronel Fury…" Smith started yet again

"I heard you the first time, Smith. Now, mobilize them to the Tower. I'll deal with Fury, don't worry" She reassured him before leaving the tent

Once outside she removed the hermetic helmet taking a long deep breath of fresh air and running a hand through her messy ponytail. This was going to be one hell of a task and one hell of a disaster if they didn't manage to contain it.

In that moment her communicator went off. She thought it would be either Coulson or Fury but it was neither of them and she was glad.

"Jansen" She answered

"Hey, doc!" Tony Stark's voice greeted from the other side

"Why, hello there, Anthony" She said with a smile making her way to the black SUV S.H.I.E.L.D. had assigned for her "To what do I own the honor of your call?"

"Well, I heard you had come down to Earth so I was wondering if you would like to get a drink or something" Tony offered

"And how did you come by that information, may I ask?" She asked amused getting into the driver's seat and starting the engine

"Oh, well, I have my very secret informants"

"Yeah, I bet you do" She scoffed "Well, I'm actually on my way to the Tower"

"That's great news!"

"Not so much, Tony. Something's happening… in fact, I'm sure Fury is on his way to the Tower as well"

"Why? What's happened?" Tony asked this time more serious

"I'm not sure, Tony… I'll tell you everything when I get there, ok? I'm on my way"

"Ok, kid; take care"

"Will do, Iron, thanks, see you in a bit" And then she hung up, hit the gas and sped up towards S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ

* * *

"Hey, Rogers!" Tony called as he entered the penthouse

"What now, Mr. Stark?" Steve asked from his seating position on the couch reading a book Bruce had given him

"Guess who's paying us a visit in a little while?" The man of iron teased

"I don't know… Coronel Fury?" The captain said without looking up

"Nope… well, maybe but he's not who I meant"

"Then who?" Steve inquired

"That pretty little doctor you fancy so much" Tony insinuated

Steve immediately snapped his head up and Tony nodded.

"Who are you talking about?" Clint asked

"No one" Steve replied "Right, Mr. Stark?"

"Oh, yes no one… just a very beautiful, very intelligent agent, doctor, lieutenant and so on and so on…" Tony continued

"Wait a minute, are you talking about Emma?" Clint added

"Did I just hear an amazing archer pronouncing my name?" Her voice rang from the door

"Hey, Em!" Clint said with a smile on his face as Emma rushed forward to hug him "How are you, doctor?"

"I'm good, thanks, Hawk, how about you?"

"Just chillin', you know me" He replied breaking the embrace

"Hey! Don't I get one of those too?" Tony exclaimed offended

"Of course you do, Tony… but only if you promise you've been a good boy" She joked

"Cross my heart and hope to die" He replied making her smile wide and hugging her

"Do you have a death wish, Stark?" Clint asked making them laugh

"Very funny, Mr. Barton" Tony said as he let go of Emma

"So, where's Nat? I haven't seen her in God knows how long" She asked

"Last I saw her was in the training room" Clint said

"Oh, well, I'll say hello to her later" Emma then walked forward until she reached the living room where Captain Rogers was standing fidgeting nervously "Good day, Captain" She greeted politely

"Lieutenant Jansen, how have you been?" He asked

"Very well, thank you… how about you?" Tony could see how nervous they both were

"Yes… good… thanks…" Steve managed to reply

"Good… good…" She said almost in a whisper and her expression turned into a disappointed one

"What brings you here, Em?" Clint asked

"I come from Central Park, actually" She said taking a seat opposite to where Steve had been seating

"Fury sent you to check on the red smoke cloud thing, huh?" Tony said

"So, you've heard"

"We have but we don't know the details; what's going on, Emma?" Clint inquired

"Yes, Lieutenant Jansen, do tell us what's going on" Fury interrupted them as he entered the penthouse

"Coronel Fury" She said standing up "I thought you'd beat me to the tower"

"How did you come to that conclusion, doctor?" Fury challenged

"Well, you are the one with the helicopter" She wittedly snapped back while the guys laughed

"Uuu… that was a good one, Em" Tony cheered and received a killer glare from Fury "What? It was!"

"That's enough people" The coronel ordered "Dr. Jansen, I need the debrief on Central Park's situation and an explanation"

"About?"

"Why you deliberately disobeyed my direct order of taking those infected to the helicarrier"

"Like I told agent Smith, coronel, I was not going to leave those children and their mothers out there" Emma said defiantly "I explained the situation to Dr. Banner upon my arrival. He's helping set a quarantined area in the infirmary; it should be ready by the time our victims arrive. Satisfied?"

"Barely. I expected more from you, lieutenant"

"Oh, you expected me to leave those poor people out there to die? Well, I'm sorry, coronel but you don't know me at all!" Emma was now infuriated at Fury's attitude

"We will talk about this later, lieutenant" Fury's voice gave the command to finish the discussion, for the time being, of course "Agent Romanoff and Dr. Banner are waiting for us in the meeting room. You will be giving the briefing, lieutenant" Fury's tone was demanding and adamant but Emma remained stoic

The coronel strode out of the penthouse and towards the meeting room with the four Avengers and Emma following suit.  
Once there Emma waved Natasha hello but everyone remained silent until they had all taken their seats.

"Avengers" Fury started and in that moment Agents Coulson and Hill entered the room "Agents, we have detected a national security threat" The Avengers exchanged glances and Fury continued "Early this morning a strange red smoke cloud covered a third of the extension of Central Park, specifically the western edge. Up to this point we still don't know what caused the smoke but, as head of the Biological Research and Counter-Terrorism Division, Dr. Jansen will be in charge of the investigation" He turned to face Emma "Lieutenant, if you may"

"Yes, thank you, coronel" Emma stood up and walked to the head of the table, clearing her throat, readying herself to debrief Earth's mightiest heroes "Gentlemen… and ladies… My initial research leads me to believe that this 'smoke' is neither man-made nor nature-made"

"You mean it is not from the Earth?" Natasha asked

"That's exactly what I mean, Nat. You see…" She pressed a few buttons on the keyboard and suddenly, the chemical composition of the smoke was broken down before their eyes on the screen "As you can see it has several terrestrial elements…"

"Carbon Monoxide being the most prevalent" Bruce pointed out, being the chemist among them

"Exactly; that's probably what is making it so hard for our victims to breathe" Emma explained

"But the effect should've left after a few minutes, maybe an hour at the most but… you say you brought the victims here, right?" Tony asked

"Yes. There are several elements in the composition of the smoke that is making the Carbon Monoxide stick to their lungs; according to our on-site analysis the victims' organs are quickly deteriorating although we still don't know to what extent" She said

"There are children" Steve suddenly said after reading the small report Emma had made while in Central Park

"Five of them are, yes" Emma answered gravely "And their mothers… we also have a couple of cyclists in their mid twenties; a 64 year old man and a group seven of policemen who were making their rounds" She informed them "They are all here. As I said earlier, Dr. Banner has been kind enough to help the division set up a quarantine perimeter in the facility to prevent contagion"

"The victims' vitals are stable yet grave; especially the children" Bruce added "They are not responding to any medication we've given them"

"So this smoke is so to speak immune?" Natasha questioned

"Up to this point, yes, it is" Emma said

"You have called us because of its alien traces, then" Clint concluded

"Precisely" Fury replied "We don't want another pandemonium like last year's with Loki"

Emma then felt as if her mind left her body; she wasn't listening to anything anyone in the room said anymore; but she heard a voice. Someone was speaking but it sounded as if was distant and obstructed by something. She then realized the voice was speaking only one word and it was being repeated; at first she couldn't make it out but then it became clearer and clearer and clearer until… "Eira…"

"Lieutenant… Dr. Jansen… Emma!" Fury's voice brought her out of her hypnotized state

"Huh? What did you say?" She asked

"I was asking you what the next step would be in your opinion" Fury repeated obviously upset

"Yes… next step… well, we need to interrogate the victims. Find out if they saw anything and if they did then, find out what it was because if we are correct and this smoke isn't human or nature-made then let it be reassured that its source is also alien…" Emma explained

"And that wouldn't be nice, now would it?" Tony added with a hint of humor

"No, it wouldn't, Stark. Avengers, stay alert we may have a similar situation to the tesseract's" Fury declared and walked to the door but stopped and spoke to Emma "Lieutenant… good job"

"Thanks, sir" She half smiled and nodded as the coronel left

"So, Em, is there something we can do to help?" Natasha asked

"I need information, Nat"

"Sure, anything"

"Get in touch with your contacts and ask them about the components of the smoke. We have to rule out if the attack was an act of pure human terrorism… if not…"

"Got it" Natasha nodded and left the room ready to start working

"And what do we do?" Steve questioned

"Well, there isn't much you can do for now, Captain. Dr. Banner and I are heading back down to the quarantined area to speak with the victims. That's all we can do up to this point" Emma answered

Steve could only nod at this and saw Emma shrug and give him a small smile; she then walked towards the elevator accompanied by Bruce.

"Emma!" Clint called behind them, catching up with them

"Yes, Clint"

"Do you have a minute?" He asked

"Uhmm… yeah, sure. I'll see you downstairs, Dr. Banner. Make sure the patients remain hydrated, especially the children"

"Yes, Dr. Jansen" Bruce replied and the elevator door closed

"What's up, Clint?" Emma inquired

"I… I kind of… need to ask you a favor…" He hesitated

"Sure, anything"

"Well… you see… I… I need to find someone…"

"Someone? Who?"

"A… It's a… A friend… an old friend"

"Okay…"

"Last thing I heard she was a lawyer"

"Oh, so it's a she…" Emma wiggled her brows and could've sworn she saw the master assassin before her blush

"Uhmm… yes…" Clint scratched the back of his head

"Clint?"

"Yeah?"

"The favor?"

"Yeah, right… Uhmm… well, like I said, I need to find her… and… since you're one of the only ones who have level 6 clearance I was wondering…"

"If I could use S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system to find her. Sure, you got it"

"Really? Great! Thanks!"

"But, Clint… You're aware I'm gonna need some information other than just that, right?"

"Oh… haha, yeah, sorry… what do you need to know?"

"Name, date of birth and place of birth, for now" Emma pulled out her iPhone and started writing down

"Ok, that's easy… date of birth March 13th 1984… place of birth Boston, MA…" Clint dictated remembering the details

"And her name?"

"Adrianna… Adrianna Moore" Clint said almost in a whisper

"Ok, I got it. I'll let you know if I find anything" Emma smiled at her teammate

"Thanks, Em; I owe you one"

"Mmm… nope, if I remember correctly, you owe me 2"

"I do?"

"Yep… remember last month during that reconnaissance mission upstate?" Clint nodded "If I'm not mistaken, and I'm not, I saved your ass when that last alien attacked you"

"Oh, no… it wasn't like that" Clint began protesting

"Oh, yes, it was, birdie" Tony intervened "I was there… in fact, we all were"

"Ok, ok, it was… I gotta go… thanks again, Em" Clint said rushing away

"Anytime, Clint" She then turned to Tony "So, Mr. Iron Man, you were eavesdropping"

"How can you think so low of me?"

"Because I know you…"

"Just as I know you, kid" He sounded more serious than before

"What do you mean?"

"Is something wrong, Em?"

"Wrong? No, nothing, why do you ask?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe because you completely and totally zoned out during the meeting? And in front of Fury! What was that all about?"

"Oh, that… that… that was nothing, Tony. I'm just… tired… I've been working nonstop for weeks now… and to be absolutely honest, Fury's voice makes me very sleepy" Emma joked trying to hide her lie

"It happens to you too? Phew! I was fearing I was the only one…" He replied and she laughed "But seriously, doctor, don't overwork yourself. We need our physician around in case one of the bad guys hurts us seriously"

"Let's hope it never comes to that, Tony. I'll see you later, ok? And thanks" Emma walked towards the elevator

"For what?"

"For caring" She answered and smiled at him before the elevator doors closed in front of her

"I'm her favorite, you know?" Tony commented to Steve who was the only one left in the meeting room and saw him tense up "So… when are you gonna ask her out?" Tony suddenly said

"Ask who out?" Steve asked

"Why, Emma! Who else?"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about"

"But I believe you do, Captain… you like her, that's plain to see… but if you want to make a move on her you have to start by calling her by her name… not Lieutenant or Dr. Jansen! Don't you think that's a little impersonal?"

"Well… it's out of respect. She calls me Captain Rogers, not Steve"

"That's because you call her by her rank. We all call her Emma… why don't you? Don't you like her name?"

"No, no… she has a lovely name…" Steve hurried to say

"Well, then, stop wasting time and ask her out already! Before someone beats you to it" Tony warned

"Why do you say that? Has someone else said anything about it?"

"Not exactly… but… have you seen the way she is with Clint? They are like… I don't know… you know…" Tony raised his brows at the innuendo

"But… I thought Mr. Barton was interested in Agent Romanoff?" Steve asked referring to Natasha

"They are like brother and sister, man!" Steve thought for a moment and then Tony continued "Well, then, stop wasting time! Do us all a favor: ask her out so you can't stop drooling around us whenever she's near!" Tony buffed and stormed out of the meeting room leaving a very confused and perplexed Captain America.

* * *

**Are we understanding a little more? I hope we are :)**  
**I must say, if you have any doubts about the story or the mythological part of it, please, don't hesitate on asking me. I love talking about it... (as you can see from the message above)**  
**Anywhoooo... thanks again and expect the next chapter to be up very very soon.**  
**Assemble, fans, assemble!**  
**Lots of love!**  
**Angie**  
**xoxo**


	3. 2 I'm A Big Girl

**Hello there, my beloved readers!  
I want to take a moment before my usual rambling to thank XxDeathShadowXx and lovelyanimeangel because if it wasn't for them, this story wouldn't be here so, thank you so much, guys for the encouragement and the support.  
Also, I'd like to thank So-She-Smiled for her kind words.  
So, ok, that been said... I don't think I have anything to ramble about today... *gasps* that's something new... *looks around concerned***

**Usual disclaimers apply on this chapter as well HA HA :D**

**I'm gonna shut up now and post...**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO - I'M A BIG GIRL**

"My name is Dr. Emma Jansen but you can call me Emma" She said from behind the glass of her hermetic helmet to the little girl who lay on the hospital bed "And you are Betty, right?" The little girl only nodded "It is lovely to meet you, Betty"

"Are you my doctor?" The girl asked seemingly frightened

"I am, Betty. We are gonna take care of you"

"And my mommy?"

"She's right there, you see?" Emma pointed at the bed next to Betty's, where a woman, her mother laid

"Is she sleeping?"

Betty's eyes welled up with tears and Emma took her hand comfortingly "Yes, honey; she needs to rest"

"I want my mommy" The girl sobbed

"I know, sweetheart… tell you what, I'll take you with her but first I need to ask you a few questions, ok?"

"You promise?"

Emma smiled as she remembered her conversation with Tony a while earlier "Cross my heart and hope to die" The girl gave her a weak smile and nodded "Betty, I need you to tell me how the smoke started"

"I… I don't… I don't remember" Betty stuttered

"C'mon, Betty; we need this. I know it's hard but we can save many lives if you remember… try, please" Betty looked up at Emma doubtful "Close your eyes and try really hard to remember… whatever, anything is good" Emma insisted and the girl closed her eyes

"I… I was playing with my friends… my mommy was with her friends… and then I saw… I saw a doggie…"

"A doggie? A puppy?" Emma wondered

"No… it was big… very big… he had yellow eyes but then… they turned red… that's when mommy came… and then the doggie got mad, he growled at us and then…"

"Then what, Betty?"

"I… I don't remember… I fell asleep after that. Can I see my mommy now?"

Emma sighed and stroke the girl's hair "Yes, sweetheart. I just need to have a word with her first, ok?"

"Ok"

Taking a few steps from Betty's bed, Emma approached Anna Connors' bed. She was in a worse state than her daughter because apparently she had been the first one to receive the hit from the cloud and had sheltered her daughter from it.  
The woman could barely breathe; her skin had adopted a light shade of grey and the white of her eyes seemed abnormally bloodshot.

"Mrs. Connors…" Emma called but the woman didn't open her eyes "Mrs. Connors… Anna" The sound of her name made her open her lids and looks directly at Emma "Anna, my name is Emma Jansen, I'm your and your daughter's doctor…"

"Betty! Betty, where is Betty? Where is my daughter?" Anna questioned agitated, her heart rate increasing slightly

"She's alright, Anna; we're taking care of her… you'll see her in a moment but I need to know what happened in the park"

"The park…"

"Betty mentioned seeing a dog…"

"Yes… the dog… I saw Betty walking away from her group of friends… she had found a dog…"

"What did the dog look like?"

"It was huge… bigger than a wolf, I think… it had dark gray, almost black shaggy fur… its teeth… they were big… too big for a normal dog… and… the eyes… they seemed yellow at first and then… then… they turned red…"

"Anna, where did the smoke come from?" Emma asked

"The smoke… it was red… dense… we could hardly breathe… the dog… it growled at us… I tried to protect Betty and before I knew it the dog was surrounded by the same red smoke and it disappeared… but the smoke didn't… it just… it surrounded us, all of us… we… we couldn't breathe… and then everything went black… I tried to cover Betty's nose and mouth so she wouldn't breathe it… how is she? Can I see her? Please… I…" Anna stopped and started coughing and gasping for air

Emma noticed that as she coughed, blood had stained the woman's lips "Yes, of course you can see your daughter, Anna. Thank you"

She then walked away from the bed and instructed one of the nurses to take Betty to Anna's bed. She stood there until she saw them embrace and then she turned away not feeling strong enough to see anymore.

"Emma" Bruce, who had witnessed the whole thing called approaching to her "How are they?"

"The girl seems stable but still weak but the mother… she's dying, Bruce…"

"Yes, I saw the blood" Emma played with her gloves

"Did you hear what she said about the dog?"

"I did… but I have never heard anything about a wolf-like dog which disappears into red smoke… it's just…"

"Abnormal… this is bad, Bruce. This dog is still out there; it could attack again at any time…"

"We need to report this to Fury immediately and get all the information we can on this so-called dog" Bruce suggested and Emma nodded "You want me to do it?"

"No, it's fine. I have to talk to Fury anyways. Just keep interrogating them… and I'll see what I can find"

"Find?" Bruce asked and then realization hit him "You don't mean to go back there, do you? It's too dangerous; I mean, you decided to bring these people here for that very same reason, you can't go back there"

"Someone's gotta do it, Bruce" Emma replied walking to the door

"Emma, it doesn't always have you be you"

"Maybe you're right but I'm not willing to put you or any other member of my team in danger… besides, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself"

Without letting him say anything else, Bruce watched Emma leave the infirmary and could do nothing but shake his head in disagreement.

* * *

Worlds away, in a whole different dimension, in the magnificent city of Asgard, Thor sat next to one of the large windows in his chambers, looking out in the distance as if trying to get a glimpse of the world he loved so much: Midgard.

A knock came from the tall thick doors and brought him out of his engrossment of thought "Yes" He answered

"Thor?" A soft woman's voice called "May I come in?"

"Of course, Sif" Thor smiled as he saw his friend walk in "Why, you look beautiful, my lady" He complimented, standing up and walking to her

"Thank you, my friend…"

"What brings you here?"

"You"

"Me?"

"Yes… we are all worried about you…" Sif replied

"We? Who is we?" Thor questioned

"Your friends… even your mother and father… we are all concerned about you" Thor said nothing, gave his back at her and walked back to the window "Since your return from your last journey Midgard… you seem different… is it because of that woman?"

"Jane? No… I did not see her this time… no, Sif… I…"

"What is it, Thor?" She approached to him and placed her hand on his arm, caringly

"I fear for Loki"

"What? Why? Do you believe he is plotting some sort of revenge?"

"No, no… I… I fear for him… I cannot bear to see him locked up… I just…" Thor lowered his head

"You love him, Thor… you thought him your brother, you grew up as such… is only normal that you still feel these fraternal emotions towards him but… you must understand… he does not deserve them…" Sif tried to comfort

"I have seen him, you know?" Thor said after a moment in silence "I have gone to the dungeons…"

"How is he?"

"I do not know, Sif… he will not speak to me… he has not spoken at all since I brought him back"

"Thor, he was our friend as well but… you have to admit that ever since… ever since what happened twenty six years ago…" Thor snapped his head up "He was never the same person…"

"If only she was here… if she had not been taken from us…" Thor said almost in a whisper

"My prince!" One of the guards suddenly burst into his chambers

"What is it, soldier?" Thor asked standing up almost in a jump

"The All-Father, sire… he commands for your presence, immediately"

"Why? What is it?" Thor questioned and saw the man hesitate "Speak up, man!"

"It's Fenrir, sire…"

"Fenrir?"

"Yes… he… he has escaped"

* * *

"Is that all the woman and her daughter told you, lieutenant?" Fury asked after Emma had reported her conversation with the Connors

"Anna and Betty Connors, yes" She corrected him

"A wolf-like dog" Fury repeated more to himself than anything "Coulson, go through the hostiles files and see what you find"

"Yes, sir" Coulson replied getting to work immediately

"What do you have on the smoke, lieutenant?" Fury questioned

"Dr. Banner is looking deeper into its chemical composition, sir, but…" Emma stopped

"But…?"

"Anna Connors is dying, colonel. Her stats continue to drop, her organs keep deteriorating and at fast pace…"

"How long do you estimate she has left?"

"Eight… maybe twelve hours… at best"

"Have you contacted her husband?"

"Yes. He is on his way… their daughter isn't as bad but… we can't still reverse the effects of the smoke. If we don't do something soon…"

"She'll die too" Fury finished for her "Continue with your work, lieutenant and keep me updated"

"Yes, sir" Emma turned and started to leave but Fury stopped her

"And lieutenant?"

"Yes?"

"Don't you dare going back to Central Park"

"What? But I…"

"It's an order, Jansen"

Emma nodded and gave him the dirtiest look she could muster and then strode out of the monitoring hall.

"Sir, maybe you should start addressing the… you know what problem to Dr. Jansen" Coulson suggested

"I plan on doing it soon, Coulson; that's why I need her safe and sound" Fury replied

"That's why you forbade her to go back to the crime scene" Coulson deduced

"Precisely. Keep an eye on her. Knowing Emma Jansen she'll disobey and go back to Central Park in less than 5 minutes

Coulson nodded and walked away leaving his boss thinking about the next course of events.

* * *

Emma took the elevator and went back down to the first floor of the tower. There, she grabbed a couple of hermetic suits, a crime scene suitcase along with a chemical and biological research kit and her favorite gun. She packed them up in her SUV and got ready to leave but as she jumped to close the trunk door (because of her height, or lack of it) someone taller than her got it for her.

"Steve! I mean, Captain Rogers" Emma said looking up at the very tall and very handsome super soldier "What are you doing here?"

"I was just… walking by…" Steve lied and Emma noticed, scoffing

"You're a terrible liar, you know?" She said and he looked down suddenly finding his shoes very interesting "Well, if you're gonna come, get in… but I'm driving"

Steve couldn't help to smile at Emma's attitude "Yes, ma'am" And got in the co-pilot's seat

Emma started the engine and drove away from the tower and towards Central Park.  
After a while of driving in silence she spoke turning to him "Did Bruce told you?" He nodded "I'm gonna kill him" She muttered looking back to the front "But not before I thank him" Steve tilted his head not understanding and saw her smile "I didn't really want to go back there all by myself" This made him smile

"Dr. Banner said it wasn't safe and said he didn't want you to come alone" Steve explained

"And you volunteered"

"He… uhmm… he asked me directly. Apparently he couldn't find anyone else. Mr. Barton was training with Agent Romanoff; Thor was nowhere to be found and Mr. Stark… well, you know Mr. Stark" He continued

"Oh, so you were sort of like… the last resource?"

"No… I… well, yes… I guess… if you put it like that…" He looked down at his hands

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that but… if this was some sort of imposition then…"

"It wasn't; I assure you it wasn't… I'm glad I can be of help" Emma smiled at this

"You are"

Some minutes later they arrived to the spot, got out of the car, put the hermetic suits on and got into the tent.

After looking around for a while and gathering some more chemical samples, Emma walked a little further and approached to the spot where Betty told her she had seen the 'dog'.  
As she got closer the needle on the Geiger counter started going higher and higher until it suddenly dropped back to zero "That's odd…" She mumbled

"What is?" Steve asked

"The radiation in this place… it started peaking for a second and suddenly it dropped back to zero… I don't understand…"

"Lieutenant, look" Steve said looking down at the ground

As Emma looked to where Steve's eyes were directed she noticed that the remains of the red smoke that had been floating around them had suddenly gotten down to ground level as if its weight had increased as well as its density.

"Wait… is it… moving?" She asked

And it was. The smoke was started travelling very fast, as if a vacuum was sucking it towards one particular direction.  
As they followed the trajectory the smoke had taken they realized it was trying to find a way out of the tent.

"It's like it was alive… as if it had a mind of its own…" Emma said

"It's trying to escape" Steve added

But before they could say anything else the smoke which had gathered in one corner suddenly began materializing into something corporeal; something big and evidently dangerous.

"Captain…" Emma started

"I know" He replied understanding

They both unsheathed their guns and pointed them at the still shapeless creature that kept forming in front of their eyes.

Before they knew it an enormous wolf with dark gray fur and yellow eyes stood where a second ago had only been the remains of the deadly gas menacingly growling and showing its sharp fangs.

"A wolf…" She whispered

"Emma, get down!" Steve shouted pushing her down to the ground as the wolf ran forward and launched towards her

It missed them by mere inches but they both lost their helmets because of the impact though they had nothing to be worried about for the smoke had completely disappeared by that point.

"C'mon" He told Emma pulling her to her feet as they faced the beast

The animal ran to them aiming to ram them but they shot and even when it didn't fully stopped it, the bullets certainly slowed it down.  
But the effect lasted only for a few seconds; the wolf got to Steve and it knocked him to the farthest end of the tent, immediately turning its attention to Emma who continued to shoot at the animal, uselessly until she ran out of bullets

"Steve!" She called but the animal was too fast; it also knocked Emma to the ground and was suddenly on top of her, breathing down her neck

"Emma!" Steve yelled as he ran towards her

Suddenly a lone figure dressed in fully black attire rushed towards them and with a sole movement of his arms a rush of air began to blow inside the tent but it was so strong it managed to lift the wolf from the ground. Then the person did another movement in which it threw the wolf out of the tent. Emma and Steve ran out as well, following the figure and saw how the wolf once again dissolved into the same red smoke it had formed from and then disappeared entirely.

"What did just happen?" Steve asked

"No idea…" Emma then looked back down at the person "Hey! Hey, you! Wait!"

The person looked back at them and then ran away before they could utter another word.

"Hey! Damn it… why do they always do that?" Emma said and Steve shrugged

"We should go back and tell the others about this" Steve recommended

"Yeah; let me just get the samples and we'll be on our way"

They gathered everything and returned to the SUV. Once they were driving back, the subject of the wolf and the stranger came up.

"What do you think was that all about?" Emma asked Steve

"I don't know… but it was definitely not from Earth… you were right, this is an alien threat" He replied

"Yes… Anna Connors, one of the victims of the smoke told me about a dog… that looked like a wolf… right before the smoke appeared… this is all very strange"

"And what about that stranger? It was as if he could control the air"

"An elemental super-human, perhaps"

"A what?"

"I've read about them in some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files… there are only a handful of them in the planet"

"Wow, I didn't know…"

For most of the journey they didn't say anything else until they were parking, when Emma talked "You know… back there… when you called me Emma… instead of lieutenant…"

"Yes?"

"I… I liked it… I mean… you don't have to call me lieutenant or doctor all the time, you know?"

"I… I don't?"

"No… well, if you don't want to…"

"No, it's… it's alright… Emma" Steve agreed

"Great, Steve… and thanks for coming with me… I would probably be dead by now if you hadn't tagged along"

"Anytime, Emma"

* * *

She ran as fast as her feet allowed her. She knew she had messed up; she wasn't meant to be seen but she had to help those agents. There was no doubt they worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.; she had seen the agency's logo on their yellow hermetic suits.

She had traced the wolf-like creature since she had seen it the first time in the park where it vanished into that strange red smoke, infecting all those people and she was sure S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't know where to look first. Probably some of the victims have told them about the wolf but in the rest she knew she had the upper hand.

Reaching her apartment she changed her clothes, dismissing the black cat suit, very similar to the jumpsuit from the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and put on some sweat pants.  
It was a cold afternoon so she walked to the fireplace, extended her hand and with a snap from her fingers the wood lit up in flames.

"Maybe if I contacted him and told him what I know about the attack…" She said to herself staring down at the fire "But no… if I approached S.H.I.E.L.D. they would tie me down with their rules… I would have to work for them… I can't… I swore never to follow orders from anyone ever again…"

That damn pride of this elemental super-human was going to be the end of her.

* * *

**Uuuuuu... Nice? Anyone? Good? Yeah?**

**Anywhoooooooooo... I hope you are liking it, you know the drill R&R and blah blah blah...**  
**Lots of love! **

**Angie.**  
**xoxo**

**PS. ASSEMBLE! (couldn't help it LOL)**

**PS2. Btw, the soundtrack is amazing; if you can get your hands on it I highly recommend you listen to it while reading my story... just a suggestion *wink wink***


	4. 3 How Deep Do You Want Me To Go?

**Before anything I must say I hope the title of this chapter doesn't scare any of you away... LOL**

**I want to thank TeddyBearSunshineJoy54 (awesome penname, by the way), Azure Seraphina, lovelyanimeangel, Archer83 and PeterFlan (Flan! What does that make be? TinkerBun? LOL j/k). Thank you for your lovely and supportive reviews... seriously, I jump all around my room whenever I get a review notification so, as you can notice, they make me very very happy.**

**Ok, so... again, usual disclaimers: I AM STAN LEE, YOU GULLIBLE PEOPLE! Ok, ok... I'm not... I just have delusions of grandeur, sorry... so I suppose I don't own anything except for Emma Jansen and Adrianna Moore (and the alive version of agent Coulson LOL)**

**Anywhoooooo... Thanks again and,**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

The rest of the day went by rather uneventfully with Emma deciding to spend the night with her patients. By the next day most of the victims of the smoke had showed major improvement even Anna Connors but still not out of danger. Betty also seemed to be so much better than her mother and both Emma and Bruce attributed that to the fact that Anna had been the only one who had received the blast directly although Anna's vitals had risen exponentially compared to the day before.

"Why hasn't Mr. Connors come?" Emma asked the nurse in charge of Betty

"He was on a business trip in London, doctor" The nurse explained and left Emma alone with Betty

"Is daddy coming soon?" Betty inquired

"Yes, honey. He'll be here soon, I promise" Emma replied checking the screen "You are so much better, Betty. I'm proud of you"

"And mommy?"

"She's also better… still not perfect, sweetheart but a lot better… you'll see; you're getting out of here in no time" Emma reassured her stroking the girl's hair with her gloved hand "Get some sleep, Betty. You need it" Betty nodded and Emma walked away to where Bruce was "Hey"

"Hey, Em. How's Betty?" Bruce asked

"Much better; I'm actually quite surprised"

"Yeah, me too… the rest of the patients are also better… even Anna"

"But she's still grave… have you gotten the results on the pathogen? Do we know if it is in fact contagious?"

"Not yet… must be getting the results tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest" Bruce answered and Emma nodded "So… no word from Fury yet?"

"You mean from yesterday's escapade?" He nodded "Nope… nothing… he either didn't find out or he's waiting so he can make a huge deal out of it"

"I'm leaning on the second"

"Me too… I'm just waiting for him to hit me with his best shot… but honestly, I couldn't care less…"

"It still amazes me how you don't mind standing up to him the way you do… I mean… look at me! I can turn into a big green beast and he frightens me more than myself!" This made Emma burst out in laughter "I'm serious!"

"I know you are… well… I don't know… I seriously hold no consideration for his lack of eye"

"I don't think that's the source of his intimidation skills"

"I guess we'll never know" She joked and he laughed openly "Anyways… could you hold the fort for me for a little while? I need to fill out some forms and finish a couple of very tedious reports"

"Yeah, of course; go ahead. I'll call you in case we need you"

"Thanks, I owe you; see you later"

Bruce nodded and watched Emma walk out of the infirmary.

* * *

"Father" Thor called as he strode into the throne hall

"Thor" Odin said

"What is this all about? The guard said something about Fenrir escaping but… that is impossible" Thor noticed the tremble in his father's eyes and continued "Is it?" Odin didn't reply "Father? Is this true?"

"I am afraid it is, my son" Thor approached his father's side and kneeled, looking at the old god with concern

"Where is he now?"

"We do not know… he bit off Tyr's right hand, killed the guard and fled… no one has seen him since" Odin explained "But…"

"But what, father?" Odin again, fell silent "Father, what is it?"

"My son… there is something you must know…" Thor waited for his father to continue "Something I should have told you and Loki a long time ago but…"

"What is it, father?"

"Thor… she… she is not dead"

"She? Whoever do you mean?"

"She, who Fenrir took from us… she, who left our side so long ago"

Thor widened his eyes as realization hit him and strengthened up in shock "Eira?" Odin nodded "But… we saw her die… Loki and I… we… we were there when Fenrir… father, this cannot be true…"

"And yet it is, my son…"

"He is going after her"

"Most likely"

"Where is she, father? Where have you concealed her all these years?"

Odin looked at his son gravely and after a long paused he said with his deep voice "Midgard… Eira is in Midgard"

* * *

Emma walked from the infirmary to her office in the same level and once there, locked the door.  
She had promised Clint she'd do some research on a certain someone; she pulled out her tablet and read the data he had given her.

"Adrianna Moore… never heard of her… let's see if S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about her…" She then looked up at the camera in her office "JARVIS?"

"Yes, Dr. Jansen?" JARVIS answered

"Would you mind blocking the cameras in my office for a little while?"

"Are you doing something you shouldn't, Dr. Jansen?"

"When am I not, JARVIS?"

"Point taken" The computer replied and turned off the cameras in the room

"Thanks you… oh, and JARVIS?"

"Yes?"

"Remind me to thank Tony for setting you up in my office as well"

"I'm already buying a gift online"

"Be sure to make it look like I picked it, ok?"

"Noted, Dr. Jansen"

Emma chuckled at her conversation with the intelligent computer own by Tony Stark.  
Returning her attention to her computer she opened the internal S.H.I.E.L.D. system and started typing away.

"Identity? Lieutenant Emma Alexandra Jansen… Authorization Code? F-B-0-7-9-6-A-C…" She recited as she typed it all down "Identification Confirmed. I sure hope so… let's see… research: Moore, Adrianna" A list of almost twenty women who went by that name appeared before her eyes; thankfully, Clint had given her a little more information "POB: Boston, MA" The list was reduced to six individuals "DOB: March 13th, 1982" And right after hitting enter the results page showed only one "Here you are… so S.H.I.E.L.D. knows you, huh? Alright, let's see what they have one you, Ms. Moore"

The page showed a very specific file on the woman. She had indeed been born in Boston on March 13th 1982. Mother died at childbirth; father murdered during an armed bank robbery. The girl was sent to foster homes until the age of 15 when she ran away from the last of them.  
Strange events surrounded her life, all of them involving some sort of natural disaster. After finishing high-school she got into NYU's law school profession she had been practicing up to date.

"Location: USA… more specific, please…" Emma typed something and then she got the result she had wanted "Manhattan… great…" Her eyes roamed across the file and then saw something that practically lit a light bulb in her head "Race: Super-Human… so that's why she appears on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system, huh? JARVIS?"

"Yes, Dr. Jansen?"

"How deep into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files can you go?"

"How deep do you want me to go?"

"That was the answer I was looking for" She smiled "I need a favor… and of course, Colonel Fury can't know about it"

"Of course"

"There's annex information in this file; information only an agent with level 7 clearance can access"

"That agent being Colonel Fury"

"Exactly. I need that and all the information you can get on super-humans and local rogue vigilantes ranging from New England to the entire state of New York"

"I'll have it ready as soon as possible, Dr. Jansen"

"Thanks, JARVIS… and remember…"

"No one is to know about this" He completed for her

"That's right, my friend. You can activate the cameras now"

Suddenly, her pager went off. It was from Bruce: 'Anna Connors. Code blue'

Without saying anything else, Emma ran out of her office and back to the infirmary.

* * *

While this happened, in the infirmary:

"Mommy, when we get out of here can we get a kitty?" Betty asked her mother

The Connors had been there for over 36 hours and they had showed great improvement; even Anna.

"Have the lab sent the results back?" Bruce asked one of the nurses

"No, Dr. Banner"

"Go up there and tell them we need the ASAP"

"Yes, doctor" The nurse replied walking away while Bruce checked Anna's vitals

"But… I thought you… you wanted a puppy…" Bruce heard Anna say and suddenly noticed how she had started gasping for air

"I did but… I don't think I like doggies anymore"

"And why is that?"

"Because that doggie at the park hurt you and me and all of our friends… I don't like doggies anymore"

"That's very clever, Betty… but we can talk about that when your dad gets here and then we can…"

Anna suddenly stopped talking and a violent cough attack took the place of the words but also, it came accompanied by blood. A lot of it.

"Nurse!" Bruce shouted as he rushed to the woman

"Mommy!" Betty screamed

"Nurse, take the girl away" Bruce instructed and as the nurse did as he had said, some others came and assisted him in helping the woman "C'mon, Anna"

"I… I can't breathe… it… it hurts…" Anna splattered, blood beginning to run down her nose, mouth and ears all at the same time

"Hang in there, Anna" Bruce insisted as he worked around the poor woman

"Bruce!" Emma called running into the infirmary not even bothering on putting the hermetic suit on

"Emma, thank God! Anna, she's suffering an internal hemorrhage and… wait! What are you doing without the suit? You could die!" Bruce exclaimed

"There's no time for that, Bruce" She stated adamantly "She needs 10cc of Dopamine and 2 units of plasma, quick!" She commanded "C'mon, Anna, stay with us…" Emma pressed her stethoscope on Anna's chest and her how weak her heart rate was "Anna… Anna, listen to me…" She started and took the woman's hand in her own that were by now fully stained with Anna's blood "You see Betty? She needs you, you understand me? Betty needs her mommy, ok?" Anna started closing her eyes "Hey… hey… you're gonna get out here and you're gonna get better, yes? And you're gonna take her to school… you're gonna advise her about boys when she grows up… you're gonna help her buy her prom dress and… and… hey, hey… you're gonna be there when she gets her heart broken for the first time, you hear me? Anna, do you hear me? Anna! Anna!" Emma shook the dying woman's hand "Bruce! The Dopamine!"

"We already administered it, Emma" Bruce replied

"Another dose! Use another dose! And another one after that if it's necessary"

"Emma…" Bruce started

"No! Just do it!" She yelled at him

Bruce nodded comprehending what Emma meant and did as she told him but it was useless. In less than a minute the machine which marked Anna's heart beat emitted a high pitched sound which didn't stopped until Bruce silenced the machine.

"No! Anna, don't do this" Emma insisted and started doing CPR on the now dead woman "Betty needs you, Anna… your daughter needs you… she needs you, Anna…"

"Emma… Emma, she's dead…" Bruce said softly taking her by the shoulders "Emma…"

"Time of death" She replied somberly and Bruce just stared back at her "Declare the time of death, Dr. Banner"

"Uhmm…" He looked up at the clock on the wall "18:47 hours"

"Mommy?" Emma suddenly heard Betty's voice and spun around violently "Mommy? Mommy!"

The last thing Emma wanted was to let that poor five year old see her mother dead and covered with blood so she rushed to the girl, picked her up in her arms and ran out of the place, towards the bathrooms.

At the entrance of the quarantined area she bumped into Steve "Emma! What happened?" She only looked up at him with tears in her eyes as she rushed the sobbing girl out of there "Emma? Emma!"

"Steve… let her" Bruce said and led Steve out of the infirmary, taking his suit off

"Dr. Banner, what happened?"

"Anna Connors, one of the victims… just passed away"

"And the girl?"

"Her daughter"

Steve then understood everything.

* * *

"Where's my mommy?" Betty asked in between sobs

Emma had carried her all the way to the bathrooms; had sat her on the counter and had started wiping the girl's face. It had blood splatters all over because of Anna's coughing.

"Emma… where's my mommy?" The girl repeated and Emma barely dared to look at her in the eye

"She… She's in heaven, sweetie… she's an angel now…"

"Why did she leave?" The girl shouted "Why didn't she take me with her?"

"Because… well… because she wanted to look after you every single moment… "Emma felt a tear rolling down her cheek and wiped it quickly "And she wanted you to stay and take care of your daddy…"

"Will she be happy in heaven?"

"Yes, sweetheart… I believe she will…"

After a while, Emma finished cleaning Betty up and carried her out of the bathroom, where Bruce waited for her.

"Mr. Connors is here" He announced and Emma nodded

"Daddy!" Betty shouted extending her arms to her father who, with a look of absolute pain yet glad to see his daughter, ran to them

Emma put the girl on the floor and she ran to her father who welcomed her into his arms lovingly.

"My little pumpkin" They heard him call Betty

"He's not wearing a suit…" Emma managed to say

"Some results came back from the lab…" Bruce started

"It's not contagious…" She deduced and he nodded

Before they could say anything else, their pagers went off. They exchanged panicked looks and while Bruce ran to the infirmary Emma returned her attention to Betty.  
Just as she had thought Betty had just passed out in her father's arms.

"Doctor! Please, help!" Mr. Connors shouted and Emma ran to them "What's happening?"

"Give her to me" She demanded and carried her back to the hospital ward, placing her on one of the beds "C'mon, Betty… don't do this…" Several nurses ran to her assistance "Get me Norepinephrine, Dopamine and a pack of plasma, quick!"

The infirmary was a complete chaos and even Steve helped in everything he could but in the next 4 hours Emma and Bruce lost half of the victims of the attack in Central Park; thankfully for Mr. Connors, Betty wasn't one of them but her vitals were on the limit and she was in critical state just as the rest of the survivors.

"Doctor, how's my daughter?" Mr. Connors interrogated Emma whose hands and clothes were covered in blood "Please, don't tell me I've lost her as well… please…"

"No, Mr. Connors. Betty's alive… barely but we've managed to stabilize her…"

"Thank you, thank you"

"Mr. Connors… the next hours will be critical for Betty's health. We still don't know what caused her and the rest of the patients to succumb once more to the toxin… it's still going to take us a while; we need you to be patient and strong, for your daughter. You're all she's got" The distraught man nodded and Emma couldn't help to pat him in the arm "I'm terribly sorry about your wife…"

"Thanks… thank you, doctor…?"

"Jansen, Dr. Emma Jansen, at your service"

"Thank you, Dr. Jansen, for everything"

Emma nodded and walked away to where Bruce and Steve were.

"Are you…?" Steve started

"I'm fine" She replied dryly

"Em… Fury called for you" Bruce told her

"Yeah, of course he did…" She rolled her eyes

"But you don't have to go right away; I can go in your place…" He offered

"Don't worry; I can handle it… I'm sure he'd want to hear the last hours' events from me. There's a reason why he called for me" She said

"Don't you think you should still get cleaned up first?" He told her and she scoffed bitterly

"I don't have time"

"I'll come with you" Emma noticed Steve who had been there the entire time

"Thanks, Steve but you don't have to"

"I'll take you to him" He insisted and she accepted

"Emma, when you're done be sure to come back down. You need to get checked up and you too, Steve, just in case" Bruce said and both Steve and Emma nodded, then, walking away

* * *

Neither of them said anything during the whole elevator ride all the way to the top floors of the tower: Emma out of grief and anger and Steve out of respect for her mourning.

Once the elevator doors opened, Emma walked straight to the figure which stood before the tenths of screens and waited for him to say something.

"Stay, Rogers" The colonel suddenly said without turning around to see them

"Sir?" Steve questioned

"I am aware of your trip to Central Park yesterday" He said, his hands behind his back "I believe, lieutenant, I gave you a direct order not to… and in addition to that you take one of our prime members to a biohazardous area!" He reprimanded

"Colonel, I…" Steve started but Emma cut him off

"Yes, sir. It was my fault. I asked Captain Rogers to come with me. I know I shouldn't have but I did and I assume all the responsibility" Emma said with a monotonous tone as Steve looked at her with shock

"No, wait… that's not how it happened! I offered to go… I…" He tried to explain

"Don't worry, Captain. I'll assume the consequences of my acts" She told him without looking at him

"You heard Lieutenant Jansen, Captain. You may leave"

"But…"

"Go, Steve" Emma insisted finally giving him one look full of sadness yet determined

Furrowing his brow Steve said nothing more and just marched out of the monitoring hall. Fury didn't say anything until he was sure Steve was gone.

"Two acts of insubordination in two days, lieutenant" He started and Emma remained stoic as he walked, circling around her "What would you call that?"

"Free will" She replied defiantly

"There's no room for free will in the lines of S.H.I.E.L.D. lieutenant. We follow orders and we do a greater good for human kind"

"Don't you think the blood in my hands and in my clothes indicate how aware I am of that?" She snapped back and he only looked back at her with his only eye "Oh, so you don't know? And I thought you were the all-seeing eye" She said sarcastically "There's my third… what did you call it? Ah, yes; insubordination act…"

"Very funny, Jansen"

"You wanna know what's funny? That all the effort my team has done, including Dr. Banner has been for nothing and you have the pride to demand an explanation. You see this blood?" Emma lifted her hands showcasing them for Fury to see "This is the blood of half of the patients who died under our care today, mothers and children among them; one in particular to whose daughter I had promise to save her mother and I had to explain why she had died to the poor five year old girl!" She was now infuriated

"You went into direct contact with the infected victims?"

"I did… are you scared?" She dared and he backed away slightly "Well, don't be… Dr. Banner just informed me it's not contagious. Would that be all?"

Not waiting for him to answer she spun on her heels and walked towards the elevator.

"Lieutenant, we are not done! Lieutenant!" But she wouldn't stop "Jansen!" He insisted louder and much more commandingly but then he softened his tone "Emma" That's when she stopped. Walking to her he waited for her to turn around and face him, which she eventually did "Go home. Get some rest. We need you at your best"

Emma looked up at him surprised and then, after sniffing, nodded in response "Colonel" She saluted respectfully

"Good night, lieutenant" He replied and nodded "Oh and tell Captain Rogers to inform me the next time he chooses to go sight-seeing with you to a research point"

Not saying another word, Emma got on the elevator and left her superior alone.  
But instead of going back down to the infirmary as Bruce had told her she went up, to the penthouse.  
As much as she wanted to be alone she also needed to see a familiar face… or several of them.

* * *

"Thor? Where are you going?" Sif asked after he walked past her, once his talk with the All-Father had finished "Thor? Thor, what is it? What has happened?"

"I must speak to Loki" Thor simply replied and sped up his pace while Sif remained where she was utterly confused by her friend's change of mood

Walking at a very hastened pace, Thor made his way to the lower levels where the vault and the dungeons were and got to Loki's as soon as he could.

"Brother" He said practically announcing himself as he ordered the guard to close the door and to leave him alone with Loki "Loki…" But Loki did not answer "Loki, please… we need to talk"

Nothing. Loki just remained lying on his back on top of the cot that had been his bed since his return from Midgard. He was acting as if there was no one else in the dark, humid room but him and his solitude. But even when he intended to appear as if he wasn't, he was in fact listening to everything Thor was saying.

"Loki… our father has sent me to talk to you" This was new and slightly caught Loki's attention and Thor noticed "Something has happened… something… related to… Fenrir" But Loki didn't seem interested "He's escaped, brother" Thor saw Loki's brow furrow at this "And… there's something else… something… about… Eira"

That was all it took; the mention of her name. Loki turned his head to the side to look at his brother straight in the eye and then sat up but still said nothing.

"Father has told me something of great importance, concerning her" Loki gave the smallest of nods motioning Thor to continue "Loki… Eira… Eira is alive"

* * *

**FINALLY OUR LORDSHIP HAS SHOWED HIMSELF! (This of course only applies to all of you members of the Loki's Army).**

**Once again, thank you and I seriously hope you're liking it... *shies away into the darkest corner***

**Stay tunned and continue to review ;) like I said, it makes me happy.**

**ASSEMBLE, MY READERS, ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie**  
**xoxoxo**

**PS. I hope you've noticed I use ramdom 'funny' lines from within the chapter as titles, in case you get freaked out by some of them (this one especially LOL)**


	5. 4 Robin Hood Blew It Up

**First things first: LauDuJardin, lovelyanimelady, TeddyBearSunshineJoy54 (luuuuuuuuv it LOL), So-She-Smiled and StepiLady thank you so much for your comments on the last chapter. (And yes, I will continue to thank personally to all of you who take the time to review). Oh and I want to thank XxDeathShadowxX and Terra3434 for your support and messages and emails.**

**Now... It will be explained in the future but I thought it be prudent to let you guys know that Eira actually does exist in the Norse mythology, so, even though I will exaggerate some aspects of her, most of what I say about her is true... you'll see in the future but I thought you guys would like to know.  
Also, I am not a great 'action' writer but I try my best and I hope that up to this point and in the very near future you don't think the story is going wayt o slow... just give me a few chapters and everything will get as messy and chaotic as in the movie, pinky promise ;). (I know, I know, I'm practically justifying the way I write but I don't want to let you all down so, please, cope with me... we need the emotional part down first hand)  
What was I going to say...? Can't remember... for the life of me... anywhoooo... while I have a quarrel with XxDeathShadowxX over who gets to take care of Loki on Sundays, I give you the newest chappie.**

**Oh and I don't own anything except Emma Jansen, Adrianna Moore, the alive version of agent Coulson... oh, and Loki's soul MWAHAHAHA! BEAT YOU TO IT, NIKKI!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR - ROBIN HOOD BLEW IT UP**

"I can't believe I let her take all the blame" Steve exclaimed as he paced up and down in front of the couch where Tony and Clint sat, watching him "I should've said something!"

"Oh, don't beat yourself too much, Cap. That's Emma. And don't try to persuade her otherwise" Tony told him

"I know, I know but…"

"Stop it, Steve" They heard Emma's voice coming from the entrance

"Emma!" Clint shouted and rushed to her along with Tony, noticing the blood in her hands and shirt "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Clint"

"What's with all the blood? Are you hurt?" Tony asked

"No. I told you, I'm fine. It's not my blood, anyways" She said

"Emma, I'm so sorry; I should have said something… anything…" Steve said ashamed

"Don't worry, Steve. You didn't have to take the blame for something I started…"

"But…"

"Yes, you offered but it was my idea to go back there to start with… don't worry, nothing happened" She told him and touched his arm as if trying to comfort him "Hey, Tony… fix me up one of those amazing drinks you make, will you?"

"Sure, Em. Which one?" Tony asked walking to the bar

"Any of them… or all of them combined… that sounds like a good idea…" She proposed and sat on the couch

"Sure does" Tony agreed and started working on the beverage

"How do you feel?" Clint asked sitting next to her

"Awful… and sticky… and… tired… and like a failure"

"Why do you say that?" Steve taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her

"Because I promise Betty I would help her and her mom get better and I failed… how would you feel?"

"We understand, Em but it wasn't your fault. We know you; I'm sure you did everything you could…" Clint said

"It wasn't enough…" She replied leaning back against the cushions "All those people we couldn't save… I couldn't save…"

"Sometimes it isn't, Em… but we don't stop trying" Tony told her handing her a glass with an awful looking liquid

"Thanks… thanks, guys… uhmm… Tony? What is this?"

"I wouldn't ask if I were you" Clint pointed out

"I wouldn't drink it if I were you" Steve added

"You asked for all my drinks in one… I live to please"

"Mmm… I think some water would be ok" Emma said and they all laughed at Tony's offended face

In that moment, Natasha walked out of the elevator accompanied by Bruce.

"Hey, Em. I'm sorry about what happened today…" Natasha said sitting in front of Emma who tilted her head to the side "Bruce told me…"

"I don't suppose you got anything from your contacts, did you?" Emma asked her and Natasha shook her head in response

"No, sorry… no one seems to know any of the components…"

"It's ok, I think… but what about the wolf? Where did it come from? How does it disintegrate into that smoke?" Emma said more to herself than to the others

"What wolf?" Natasha asked and Emma, Bruce and Steve told them about the wolf the victims had talked about and what Emma and Steve had witnessed in Central Park

"If only Thor was here" Bruce said once their tale was done

"Why do you say so?" Steve questioned

"Well… I was thinking that he knows more about these weird things than us…" Bruce told them

"Oh, you mean he knows more about Rogers than us?" Tony joked making them, even Steve laugh a little "But yes, you are right… maybe he could help us figure out this one"

"I never got to meet him… or his brother, for that matter…" Emma commented

"Not even when the Helicarrier broke down?" Natasha asked "Even I got to fight with him"

"All of the Avengers did, Natasha but not many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents did… and by the way, the Helicarrier didn't break down… Robin Hood here blew it up" Tony observed

"Thanks for bringing that up, Stark" Clint said and stood up, walking to the large window

"Nicely done, Stark" Natasha said and intended to get up but Emma shook her head and did it herself

"What did I do?" Tony asked innocently while everybody gave him irritated glares

"Hey…" Emma said softly walking up to Clint "Hey…"

"Hey" He replied still looking out into the night sky

"Don't listen to him… he can be a serious pain in the ass from time to time…" She comforted and saw him shrug "Clint, you really have to get over what happened… I mean… this Loki guy… he's nuts; Bruce said it, his head is like a bag full of cats…" He still didn't say anything "Look, Clint, I saw you then and I saw you after and I know how much it pained you to do what you did but none of it was your fault… you must get over it…"

"It was like trying to kill my own family, Em. If I had killed you or Natasha…" He rubbed his face

"But you didn't and that's what matters, ok? I mean… look at me… my family died because of me and… here I am…"

"I'm sorry, Em… I didn't mean to bring those memories back… I know it doesn't even get close to what you're been through…"

"No… it's alright… I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, Nat and Phil" She gave him a little encouraging smile "Hey, so… I already started on that top secret investigation you asked for" She changed the subject

"Really? Have you got anything yet?" Clint inquired

"You could say so…" She stopped and saw him lift his brows with expectation "She's here… in New York…" Clint was about to exclaim something but she cut him off "Don't get all excited; that's really all I have on her… I'm hoping JARVIS will get me some sort of address or something but until then…"

"Thanks, Em… really"

"Don't mention it… but, Clint… why didn't you tell me this… Adrianna is registered as a super-human?"

"I… I forgot?"

"Yeah, sure you did… you were certain I would find something about her in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files, didn't you?" Clint nodded sheepishly "Why is she on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar? What can she do? Or even worse… what did she do?"

"That is exactly what I want to know, Em…"

"Hey, guys! I'm ordering take out, what do you want?" Tony asked from the living room

They smiled and returned to the group.  
While the food was delivered, Emma excused herself to go to the restroom to clean herself up and look slightly more presentable.  
She washed her hands and arms, removing the bloodstains that reminded her how she had failed but not just today but all of her life. How she had let those cruel, heartless men from HYDRA take her and her family away to the most horrible of places and how she had failed to protect them when they had needed her the most.

Straightening up she looked at herself in the mirror and found her mother's dark green eyes staring back at her; her own eyes telling her how much she had lost and how hard and uselessly she had tried to forget that. She ran her hands through her light auburn hair, letting it loose from the bun it had spent the day in; that very particular hair color she had inherited from her father.  
How she missed them.

"Emma? The food's here" Natasha said after knocking the door

"Yes… I'm coming!" Emma replied wiping the tears from her face and straightening her clothes before walking out and joining them

The rest of the evening went on quite uneventful with the only exception that since Tony had decided to order Chinese and Emma had very kindly showed Steve how to use the chopsticks properly. A while after midnight, Emma said her goodbyes and walked to the elevator but someone stopped her.

"Emma" She turned around and saw Steve

"Yes?"

"Can I give you a ride home?" He offered

"Uhmm… well, I have my car downstairs…"

"I don't want you to drive home this late" Emma smiled at his sweet honesty

"Well, yeah, of course, that'd be lovely… thanks" She said and they went down to the parking lot together

After getting in, they drove away from the tower and made their way to Emma's house once she had given Steve the right directions.

"How do you plan on getting back to the tower?" She asked

"Mmm… well, I have 2 options…" Steve started "One: I get a cab… or two: I take your car and pick you up in the morning…"

"I'd like that" Emma smiled at him and he smiled in return

They made small talk and after a while they arrived to Emma's home.

"So…" He said once they were at the door, giving her the car keys "Good night, Em"

"I like it when you call me Em"

"You… you do?"

"Yeah… you're the only one who doesn't do it" She said

"Until now"

"Until now" She repeated

"So… goodnight, then" Steve said again

"Yes, good night…" Emma responded

Before she could say anything else, Steve leaned down and planted a lingering kiss on her cheek sending chills up and down her spine.

"G'night" He said softly against her skin

"Night…" She echoed feeling dumbfounded

Steve turned around and started walking away but she called him "Steve!"

"Yes?" He faced her and saw her throwing something at him; he caught it and realized it was her car keys

"Pick me up in the morning?" She asked coyly and saw him grin

"Love to" After she had waved at him and he was sure she was safe inside her house, he returned to the SUV with a huge smile on his face

* * *

"Alive…" Loki repeated feeling completely out of breath "No…"

"Yes, Loki. Father said so…" Thor reassured

"He lied to you. He told you that so that you could come here and make my punishment even greater" The god of mischief stated

"Father would not do something like that to you, Loki"

"But you would, would you not? Or is this some sort of jest? Do you find my misery amusing? Do you take pleasure in my suffering?" He hissed

"No matter what you believe, Loki, you will always be my brother… as Eira will always be my sister" Thor saw his brother scoff bitterly at this "I would not use her and her memory to cause you pain, brother… and neither would father… we all mourned her"

Loki was in a split second standing before Thor, tears in his eyes and his disheveled looks made even more prominent "Do not dare to talk about mourn, Thor" He spat "I am the one who lost everything the second she…" He couldn't find the words to continue and just gave his back at Thor, running has hands through his raven hair

"Loki, if what father speaks of is the truth, with Fenrir on the loose… she is in grave danger…"

"If Odin's words were truthful, how could Fenrir know if she was alive? And her whereabouts?"

"I do not know, Loki but we must find her and protect her at any cost"

Loki rubbed the knuckles of his hands and exhaled, turning around "What do you propose?"

"Father said Eira is in Midgard… perhaps if we asked Fury and the Avengers for their help…"

"I would never ask them for anything… not even mercy" Loki said with hatred

"You asked for a drink, remember?" Thor said and saw Loki roll his eyes "What would you do to see Eira again?"

Thor noticed how Loki's stand changed; it immediately relaxed and his look lost its usual deranged edge to be replaced by a soft gaze.

"Anything" Loki answered with conviction

"Then let them help us" After a moment of consideration, Thor saw Loki nod

"What are we to do?" Loki asked

"We leave for Midgard"

* * *

As soon as she had seen Steve driving off, Emma let herself fall onto the couch with a smile on her face. Maybe he did like her after all.  
She had once talked about this crush she had on Steve with Tony but they had both agreed that either the Captain didn't like her back or he was absolutely oblivious to whatever happened around him.  
But now Emma was pretty sure he had some interest in her, at least in the slightest measurement.

Pulling herself up, she walked to the bathroom and prepared the tub for a long, relaxing and very much needed bath.  
Once it was ready, she took her clothes off and got into the warm water feeling how it immediately removed every single ache in her body.

"Just what I needed…" She said leaning back and closing her eyes.

She must have been much more tired than she thought because she instantly fell asleep but that didn't help much for her slumber was haunted by a very strange and upsetting dream:

_The floor under her feet was like made of glass, crystal like; every color that ever existed ran through it; it seemed like something made in Heaven but as she looked around she felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt as if she actually belonged there._

"_Eira" Someone called behind her and as she turned she couldn't resist a smile as she recognized the person_

"_Thor" Her voice came out_

"_What are you doing here?" He asked standing next to her_

"_I'm waiting"_

"_Waiting?" She nodded "For what?"_

"_You know"_

"_How long has he been gone?"_

"_Too long" Eira answered and brought her fingers up to her mouth, biting her nails_

"_Stop that" Thor muttered looking at her from the corner of his eye_

"_What? Oh… this… sorry" She said forcing herself to stop but starting to tap her foot_

"_Eira, he will be here soon. Stop fidgeting"_

"_He's been gone for too long and he was supposed to come back two days ago…" Eira suddenly stopped and squinted her eyes trying to get a better look in the distance "He's here" She grinned widely and rushed forward as Thor remained in his place with a smile on his face_

_His horse rode towards Eira and Thor and when he saw her running to him he slowed down but didn't wait for the horse to stop fully to jump off and run to her._

_Without saying anything they ran into each other's arms and embraced as if their lives depended on it._

"_Thank Valhalla you are back" She whispered into his ear feeling a few tears escape her eyes_

"_I am sorry it took so long. I wanted to come back sooner" He replied holding her tighter and then they let go "I missed you"_

"_No more than I missed you" She challenged smiling up at him_

_He reached out and wiped a tear off her cheek with his thumb. She couldn't help to close her eyes at his touch._

_Thor approached to them and said "Welcome back, Loki"_

"Loki…" Emma gasped sitting up as she awoke from the dream. She then raised her hand and touched where Loki had in her dream but then she shook her head brushing the thought away "Loki? Why was I dreaming about Loki? And Thor? Wow… I'm officially screwed up"

Rubbing her face, she stood up, wrapped a towel around her soaked body and stepped out of the bath.  
She brushed her teeth, combed her hair and tied it in a loose braid and then got dressed in a pair of dark blue shorts and white tank top but as she walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom she looked up, towards the window and found a pair of yellow eyes staring at her through the glass.

"Oh my God…" She gasped and then the figure with the red eyes became clearer. It was a very big dog; almost like "A wolf…"

Slowly and carefully, Emma reached out for her phone and sped dialed one of the numbers in the memory.

"C'mon… c'mon, pick up…"

"Hello?" His voice came from the headphone

"Steve! Steve, it's Emma!"

"Emma, what's wrong? You sound upset"

"I am upset! The dog… the wolf, whatever it was, do you remember? From yesterday in Central Park?"

"You mean the one that attacked us?"

"Aha"

"What about it?" Steve asked

"I think I just saw it"

"What? Where?"

"Outside my house"

"I'm on my way" He said and before she could say anything, she heard him hang up

When Emma looked back up and saw that the wolf was still there, watching her intently with those yellow murderous eyes.  
Not really knowing why, she stepped forward and walked to the window without breaking any eye contact with the beast.

As she reached the crystal that separated her from the animal she saw it growl and almost prepare to attack her but Emma didn't flinch.

"If I get close enough I might be able to get some information on the smoke… if only…" Emma extended her hand and pressed it against the glass and the beast growled even more

The animal's eyes then turned to a bright shade of red and the almost seemed as if they glowed. It opened its snout and bared his sharp fangs menacingly; it almost charged against the window and Emma but suddenly a voice whispered in the air but it was loud enough for Emma to hear it "Calm down, Fenrir… the time has not come yet"

As sudden as it had appeared, the wolf vanished into thin air leaving a small trace of that signature red smoke leaving Emma completely gob-smacked.

* * *

**SWEET LORD LOKI! (I'm going to that special place in Hell where blasphemous people go, I know...)**  
**As always, thank you for reading and for all of those who take a little of your time to review... and to those non-reviewers lurkers too, why not? ;) You keep my stats high LOL.**

**I'll be seeing you soon, my darlings.**  
**Lots of looooooooove!**  
**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	6. 5 The York Of New

**Oh. My. Loki.  
I cannot believe the response I am getting on this story! I can't thank you enough for your reviews, favourites and add... they seriously make my day, no matter what mood I find myself in...  
So, LauDuJardin, cocoatd, Sharpey-00, lovelyanimeangel, StepiLady, Azure Seraphina and AccioVoldemortsNose (Oh, so that's where his nose went! You've had it all this time! LOL) thank you all so much for your lovely reviews. I sincerily hope you continue to like it :) (and that you continue to review hehe).**

**Ok... so... this chapter... this chapter is quite an eventful one, I must say (I'm not telling why or how, though, you'll have to read it if you want to know) and I'll make comments on it at the end note (Don't you dare scrolling down to the end, you peeps... I'm keeping an eye on you).**

**Also, I've decided to make song suggestions from this chapter on so, this chapter's suggested soundtrack is: Memories by EarlyRise.**

**So, here you have it... **

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE - THE YORK OF NEW**

Thor had taken a hand bound Loki out of the dungeon and up to the throne hall where Odin waited for them.

"So the old man is willing to set me free, yes?" Loki smirked as Thor led him throughout the long corridors of the palace

"Show some respect, Loki. He might not be your real father but he raised you as if he were…"

"He did not do such a wonderful job, did he?"

Thor stopped and faced his brother "He did, Loki. As much harm as you might have done in the past, your love for Eira is the proof that he raised you the best way" Loki stared at Thor with resentment at this comment "Keep walking. Father awaits"

After the rest of the long walk was done, they stopped before the tall and magnificent doors that led to the throne hall.  
A moment later the doors opened, allowing their entrance.  
As soon as they entered, Odin ordered the guards to leave him and his sons alone.

"Loki" Odin started as he stood up

"Odin" Loki replied narrowing his eyes, glaring at the man he had once thought to be his father

"That is not necessary" The All-Father said, referring to the bindings in Loki's wrists as he stood up from the throne, meaning to approach him. With a stomp of Gungnir (the Spear of Heaven), they disappeared and Loki rubbed the spot when they had been "Are you well?" Odin asked making Loki snap his head up and looking at him with shocked eyes

"Pardon?" He questioned in disbelief

"Are you well? Are you hungry? Would you like something to drink?" Odin repeated and extended the offer

"I… no… thank you" Loki answered

"Very well… my son…" Odin started but Loki cut him off

"Loki" He corrected and even though Odin was slightly taken aback, he continued

"Loki… something has happened"

"Yes, so I heard… your precious wolf cub escaped… and I understand you are making up lies about Eira being alive so I help you and Thor to get him back"

"Loki…" Thor nudged him in the ribs

"Ah, yes and he says I must show some sort of respect for you… All-Father" These last words he practically bathed them with venom

"Son…" Odin began getting even closer to Loki

"Loki" He repeated

"Loki, even when it is not by the means of blood you are and will always be my son, just like Thor" Loki scoffed at this "And it was no lie what I told your brother… Eira is alive; she's safe, for now in Midgard but with Fenrir free…"

"How did he escape?" Loki asked giving his back at his family and walking to the large window

"We still ignore it. He broke Gleipnir" Odin said

"I thought your precious enchanted chain to be unbreakable" Loki continued without turning to them

"As did we, brother. He destroyed it and took the advantage when Tyr went to feed him. He bit his right hand off, like I told you earlier and fled" Thor explained

Loki remained silent looking out into the horizon, watching the orange sun set as it dyed the sky with shades of gold, pink and purple.

"What say you, Loki?" Odin questioned

"Tell me the truth about Eira"

"Brother, we must take action in this and…" Thor objected but again, Loki interrupted him, this time raising his voice commandingly

"The truth, Odin!" He demanded

Odin sighed and sat on one of the steps that led to his throne "You know what happened that day, Loki…"

"I want to know the truth"

"Very well…" Odin gazed at Thor and then proceeded "After Fenrir attacked and you all started evacuating the people from their homes…"

"Yes, yes, I know that part… I was there…" Loki cut him off irritated

"Yes, you were… after he injured her… and after you defeated him encouraged by your hatred and your sorrow… you know I took Eira away"

"Yes, but you only did it to keep her body from turning into dust… did you not?" Loki asked

"No… she was still alive when I got her here. I healed her"

"What?"

"I healed her but Fenrir was still alive… she would never be safe from him unless…"

"Unless you sent her away" Thor added

"And that is what I did. She never woke up after I healed her so I decided to send her somewhere I thought she would be safe" Odin said

"Midgard" Loki scoffed once again this time much more bitterly "Did you really believe those puny mortals would be able to look after her? To keep her safe?"

"I took her immortality from her, Loki. She was no longer a Vanir when I sent her away"

"Why?" Thor asked but it wasn't Odin who answered but Loki

"Because it was the only way to keep her hidden… concealed" Thor looked at his father who nodded in return "Without her immortality…" Loki continued "Will she… recognize me? Any of us?"

"No" Odin sentenced

"Will she ever?" Loki interrogated

"It depends"

"On what?"

"Her soul"

"What do you mean, father?" Thor asked

But Odin didn't answer he just looked at Loki who stared back at him gravely and deeply.  
It took minutes before any of the gods present uttered another word; it was Loki who broke the silence.

"What do you need me to do?" He asked with determination

"You will return to Midgard along with Thor and with the help of the group of super-humans called the Avengers you will find Fenrir and defeat him" Odin instructed

"What about Eira?" Thor wondered and saw Loki and Odin exchanging an understanding glare to which Loki responded by chuckling "What?"

"What Odin means to say but lacks the courage to do so is that I am not allowed to search for Eira" Loki answered "Is that not right, Odin?"

"She is off limits, Loki" Odin said

"Yes, I understood with the first glare, Odin"

Thor gave his brother an apologetic look before returning his attention to Odin "How are we supposed to return?"

"With the Tesseract. It must remain under the care of the Avengers, Thor. It is never to leave the sight of the so called agency S.H.I.E.L.D." Odin commanded

"Yes, father" Thor said respectfully

"When do we leave?" Loki asked

"Tonight"

* * *

"Where is it?" Steve asked as soon as Emma had answered his frantic knocking

"It's gone, Steve" Emma said letting him into the house

"What? When?"

"As soon as we hung up" She walked to the living room and fell onto the couch; Steve sat next to her "It was so strange… I… it was as if it was staring at me… straight at me… into my soul… you know? As if it knew me" She ran a hand through her now undone braid and covered her face with her hands, exhaling

"Em, are you sure you didn't… imagine it?" He asked

"No, Steve! It was there! Over that window! It… it… I'm sure it meant to attack me but… I could swear I heard something…" Jumping off the couch in a frenzy

"Something? Like what?" Standing up as well

"Something like… a voice… it was so low… like a murmur… I could barely… I hardly made it out…" Emma closed her eyes, trying to remember "The voice… it was telling the wolf to… to calm down"

"What?"

"I… I don't know… something about the time coming…"

Steve saw her shiver and without thinking about it he walked up to her and embraced her. Emma immediately leaned her head against his chest and sighed.

"Take it easy, gal" He told her and then heard her muffled giggles "What?"

"Did you just call me gal?" She asked and saw him turn tomato red "Don't get me wrong; I think it's really cute but… no one had ever called me… gal"

"Ok, well… gal…" She giggled again and he couldn't help to smile "What do you say if you go to bed while I get you some warm milk so you can rest?"

'Oh my God, this guy has to be the sweetest man on Earth!' She thought feeling like a fourteen year old "Yeah, sounds… sounds like a plan"

"Great; go ahead; I'll be right with you"

Emma nodded and went back into her room. She got into the bed and waited for Steve to return. Once he did, he handed her a mug with warm milk and lay next to her, watching her while she drank.

"Don't you think we should call Coulson or Fury or even Tony and tell them about this?" Emma asked after they had spent a while in absolute silence

"I think you should relax and think about something else… as much as it worries me, we should wait until the morning, when your mind is a little clearer"

"You still don't believe me, do you?"

"I do, Emma… I really do… I just…" Steve exhaled and rubbed his eyes "Today was a very complicated day, especially for you…"

"Yeah… maybe you're right…" She slipped down and got herself ready to sleep "But we are telling them in the morning, ok?" Her voice had begun to sound sleepy

"Promise, Em… now sleep. I'll pick you up in the morning"

He started to go but Emma reached out and grabbed his hand "You're not leaving me alone, are you?"

"But…"

"Please… I… I don't mean to sound clingy or anything but I don't think I could sleep if I knew I was alone…" She asked and saw his features relax

"Of course, Em. I'll stay. Go to sleep" He reassured her and laid back down next to her

"Thanks" She said and cuddled more into the covers "Good night, Cap" She mumbled

"G'night, Doc" He smiled as she drifted off into slumber while he watched over her

* * *

Fenrir paced up and down in the dark alley a few blocks away from Emma's house waiting for _him _to show up. After some minutes, _he_ finally did.

"You seem restless, Fenrir" His deep, almost hollow voice said behind the wolf

"You make me restless! Why did you stop me? I had her… I could have killed her right then and there!" Fenrir growled with rage

"Do you not believe that would have been way too easy?"

"I am not looking for a challenge, Overmaster! What I seek is revenge!"

"I am aware of that for I too search for retribution. We are the children of the same fate, you and me…" The Overmaster said as he walked around Fenrir, his face cloaked at all times by the hood of his silver cape "Revenge is a very powerful ally, Fenrir but so am I and to receive some of my… gifts… you must learn to listen and obey"

"I may look like one, Overmaster but I am not a common dog for you to train" Fenrir challenged

"Oh, I know that, my friend and I respect you for what…" He stopped and looked the wolf up and down before continuing "And who you are, God-devourer and for that I appeal to your rational side… patience, my friend, it is patience which will give you what you deserve"

Fenrir bared his teeth in the form of a smile and the Overmaster smiled in return "What shall I do next?"

"If I am not mistaken the sons of Odin are on their way to Midgard"

"They mean to find me"

"Yes but they are not the objective… not yet, for that matter…"

"Then…?"

The Overmaster's smirk became wider at this question "There are only three ways to travel through the Cosmos, Fenrir. Can you tell me what they are?"

"The Bifrost but that is not viable anymore…" The Overmaster nodded "Your teleportation abilities…" The Overmaster nodded again "And…" Fenrir stopped before realization could hit him and the Overmaster nodded once more "That is what you want… you want Odin to send Thor and Loki so they can bring it to Midgard…"

"Where I will take it into my power and channel all of its energy to the destruction of every life form… except, of course for those who are worthy of this new regime"

"Then why do you need me? Why did you release me?"

"Because you, my loyal pup, are the glue that binds it all together…"

"The Vanir… Eira" Fenrir said

"Exactly… so, as you can see, Fenrir, it is a win-win situation here for the both of us, is it not?"

Fenrir smile grew as well as the Overmaster's.

* * *

"Remember: the Tesseract must remain guarded at all times" Odin repeated to his sons once they had gotten ready to go

The three of them stood in the courtyard of the palace; Odin held the canister that contained the power of the Cosmic Cube while Thor and Loki stood before one another waiting for the All-Father to give the signal.

"Safe journey, my sons" He told them and saw Loki roll his eyes "And Loki… do not forget"

"I am not to look for Eira; I heard you the first time, father" He didn't even realized he had called him like that but both Odin and Thor did "What?"

"You called me father… thank you" Odin said and smiled warmly at Loki who could feel the tears beginning to sting his eyes "Be safe"

Thor nodded and Loki just looked forward.  
Odin handed his eldest son the canister and the latter motioned Loki to take hold of the other end. After he had done so Thor immediately turned his handle and as the blue fog surrounded them and the portal opened they were gone.

"Be safe, my sons" Odin repeated once they were gone.

In a matter of seconds they hit the ground: the cold, wet and hard ground.  
Loki felt a little dizzy, just like the first time he had used the Tesseract but Thor's strong hand appeared before his eyes, offering his aid to stand up and steady himself.  
The god of mischief took it and got on his feet, dusting his Asgardian attire off and looking around.

"Where exactly are we?" He asked Thor

"The York of New" Thor replied

"How convenient" Loki said with sarcasm "Now what?"

"We find Fenrir" Thor began walking away

"Hey, wait, wait… you do not even know where you are going or where he is… and you cannot carry the Tesseract as if it was only a worthless trinket" Loki chastised

"You are right. Father said it; we need help… we need S.H.I.E.L.D."

"And how do we find them?" Loki saw Thor give him one of those cheeky, childish grins of him which annoyed him so much

"Do not trouble yourself, little brother… they will find us" Just as if that had been their cue, sirens began sounding all around them as black cars and SUVs surrounded them and a couple of helicopters flew right above their heads "Told you so" Said Thor amused to which Loki answered by only rolling his eyes exasperated

"Identify yourselves" A voice coming from above and probably through a megaphone commanded

"I am Thor Odinson and this is my brother, Loki"

Suddenly some men from the SUV's ran to them and led them to the cars; obviously, they were much less subtle with Loki than they were with Thor and he noticed.

"What do you think you are doing?" He demanded to know "We came to help"

"We understand that, Mr. Thor but Loki is still considered a hostile here on Earth" Thor recognized the voice and squinted to assimilate the face of the man before him

"Son of Coul? I thought you dead!"

"It's a long story, sir… but now we must go" Coulson said and led Thor into one of the SUVs "Don't worry. No one will harm your brother" He reassured him

Thor nodded and gave Loki a sympathetic look before a couple of agents practically threw him into the back of a van.

'So much for not harming him' Thor thought as the vehicles started moving

* * *

Emma had barely slept for a few hours; hours in which Steve hadn't closed his eyes at all as he continued to stare at her in her slumber.

She was very beautiful, intelligent and funny and he knew for a fact how strong she was. No one had ever told him about her past but it had once skipped Clint's mouth that she had lost her family in a very tragic way that had curiously involved HYDRA.

Since the moment he had met her when he had been defrosted he had felt attracted to her but as always he had never had the courage to do something about it.  
Even after their battle against Loki and the Chitauri, when the Avengers had gone their separate ways he hadn't stopped thinking about her and now, after a month of being assembled once more he had seen her again and had felt just the way he did from the beginning.  
And to his surprise, it seemed that she corresponded these feelings of attraction towards him.  
But as always, there had to be something…

"Mmm…" She mumbled in her sleep "Mmm… don't… mmm… don't hurt him… please…"

"Em? Emma?" Steve whispered trying to calm her down

"Don't hurt him… no… don't, just don't… please…"

"Emma, wake up…"

"Stop hurting him…" Her voice became more and more agitated by the second

"Hurting who?" Steve asked

"Loki… don't hurt him… Loki…"

"Loki?" Before Steve could do anything about it, his phone rang obviously waking Emma up

"What?" She asked opening her eyes

"It's my phone… let me…" He reached out and answered it "Yes? Aha… aha… yes… what? When?"

"What is it?" Emma questioned and he motioned her to wait

"Yes… yes, I got it… I'll be right there…" He finally hung up and dared not to face Emma

"Who was it? What happened?"

"It was Coulson… it's Thor… he's back from Asgard"

"What? Why? Is something wrong?"

"I don't know… but he didn't come alone" Emma remained silent and he continued "Loki came with him"

* * *

**Holy chapter, Batman... oh, no, wait... that'd DC comics... LOL.**

**So... any guesses on who this... OVERMASTER might be? If you know about comics then you probably know and if you don't and you are truly interested you're going to look it up (I hope you don't because even my characters don't know it and I'm already writing chapter 15 so... be patient, please). Of course, when the time comes and this individual's identity is revealed I will explain everything concerning him, especially the Overmaster name, ok? Ok!**

**As always, don't forget to R&R... the more you review the faster I post... meh, who am I kidding... I post everyday... blaaaaaaaaaah!**

**Thank you so much once more and I'll be seeing you real soon ;)**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	7. 6 I'm An Artificial Intelligence Device

**Goooooooooood mornin', good mornin'! Ok, it might not be morning here (it's 8:01, in case you're wondering) but it's morning somewhere... in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, right?  
Anywhoooooo... here we go with my usual thanks: lovelyanimeangel, LauDuJardin, gallowsCalibrator92 (I'll be referring to your comment in a minute, do not dispair) and StepiLady... you are awesome, guys! Love you all loads and loads!  
Ok, now... gallowsCalibrator92, first of all, welcome and thank you for reading and reviewing. I hope you continue to like my story and that you enjoy your time here and have fun because, in the end, that's what this is all about. Now... you said in your review that you'd like to have more back story on Emma and then you said that I probably had it already planned for future and that is absolutely true. To all of you who are interested and have like a million doubts about Emma, please, do not dispair; it will all be told and explained in the not so far future so, yeah, like I've said, cope with me... I want this to be my longest story so far... I have to stretch my material LOL.**

**Before I forget, this is the song of choice for this chapter: Remember by Josh Groban (yeah, I know... sounds like a corny choice but I swear it goes extremely well with the contents of the chapter so, even if you don't like Josh Groban, suck it up and make an effort... for the story's sake *lmao*)**

**That been said...**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX – I AM AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DEVICE**

The ride back to the tower was extremely quiet and somewhat uncomfortable.  
On one hand, Steve kept thinking about what Emma had said in her sleep; why was she dreaming about Loki? They had never even met.  
And on the other, Emma couldn't stop thinking about the dream she had had while taking her bath and then the one she had before the phone call.  
The latter again, involved the man they were about to face, she, Emma for the very first time: Loki.  
Neither of them uttered a single word until they pulled over at the tower but it wasn't even among them.

"We need both of you in the briefing room" Maria Hill told them and they nodded

As they entered the elevator they found that Tony was there, leaning against the steel wall "Hey there, sunshines" He greeted "Big news, huh?"

"Yeah…" Steve said quietly as the elevator started its race upwards

"What do you think they are doing back here? Loki, especially" Tony asked

"No idea" Steve replied

"Wait… did you come in together?" Tony pointed out raising his brows in amusement "You did, didn't you, turtle doves?" He grinned

"It's not what you're thinking, Tony" Emma finally spoke up

"Oh no? Then what is it?"

"It's… it's nothing, ok?" She made it clear that that was the conclusion of the conversation and knowing how she was, neither Avenger said another word

After a minute or so they made it to the top of the tower and joined the rest of the Avengers; of course, Fury couldn't help to give them the proper welcome.

"Where were you, Stark?" The colonel asked

"I'm sorry, mom… I decided that I needed a drink… or two… or more, who knows… but I'm here, do not despair" Tony answered taking a seat next to Bruce "You should ask the captain and the lieutenant the same question"

"That's a good question… where were you, Steve?" Clint asked playing along with Tony's game

"I… I escorted Dr. Jansen to her home" They all gave him funny looks and he continued "I didn't want her to drive in the night after the day she had"

"Always a gentleman, Cap" Natasha said

"Focus, people" Fury said as he motioned Steve and Emma to sit down "Lieutenant, you must be wondering why we asked you to come as well" She nodded "Well, as you know by now, Thor has returned from Asgard"

"What does that have anything to do with me?" Somehow, this whole conversation about Thor and the upcoming mention of Loki was making Emma very anxious

Fury didn't answer. He nodded at Coulson who in return opened the doors, letting Thor in but he wasn't alone. Loki walked behind him; his hands locked together by a pair of handcuffs.

"Hello, big guy" Tony greeted Thor "Long time no see"

"Stark, Captain, Banner, Agent Romanoff, Barton… it is an honor to see you again" The god of thunder said and nodded at them which they all did in return

"And the loco Loki…" Tony added as they all looked at Loki who kept his pride intact

"Please, Stark" Thor pleaded

"I was just saying… having in mind that he threw me out of a window; that I almost died while trying to fix his mess and oh, yes… he tried to destroy the Earth" Tony enumerated

"Ok, ok, we get it; you're pissed off, Stark. Can we get on to serious business now?" Fury interrupted "Thor, meet Lieutenant Emma A. Jansen. She is in charge of the case; she will be the one guiding you through it and the one to debrief you and Loki"

"It is a delight to meet you, Lieutenant Emma A. Jansen" Thor said taking her hand and bringing it up to his lips, kissing it in a very chivalrous manner, making her blush and giggle like a school girl

"Erm… yes… you too, Thor. I'm honored to meet you at last… and please, just call me Emma" She replied

"Emma" Thor repeated "Emma, please, may I introduce my brother…" He started and motioned Loki to come closer, which he did, with slight reluctance "Loki Odinson"

"Loki Laufeyson" Loki corrected glaring at Thor but then looking back at Emma both his facial expression and his body language changed. He stared at her as if he was trying to recognize her from somewhere "Have we met before?" He asked her furrowing his brow

"I…" Emma started. She was feeling extremely self-conscious under this god's analytical eye "I… I don't think so, no"

"Let's start, shall we?" Fury said breaking up the moment

Emma saw Loki shake his head as if trying to get rid of a certain thought while she felt as if she couldn't control her increasing heart-beat. She took her seat between Steve and Bruce and crossed her arms feeling extremely weird.

"First things first, Nick…" Tony started gaining everyone's attention "Why are Thor and Mr. Horny back?"

"Stark…" Thor threatened referring to Loki's newly given nickname to which Tony answered by raising his arms somewhat defensively

"I'll allow Thor to explain that to all of you" Fury said and granted the word to Thor

"My friends… we have been sent here by the All-Father to find a runaway creature which represents a huge threat against every realm but particularly to Asgard and Midgard" Thor told them "As the appointed Asgardian protector of the Earth, Odin has sent me to find this creature and to defeat it"

"And what about Loki?" Steve asked eyeing Loki for a split second

"He has come to help as well…" Thor limited himself to say

"Mind to elaborate?" Clint said

Thor didn't answer because Loki took his place in explaining "You might not like this very much, agent Barton but Odin sent me as well because… well… I am the one who defeated Fenrir in the past…"

"Fenrir?" Emma asked very softly

"What is that, lieutenant?" Fury inquired

"Did you say… Fenrir?" She repeated directing her attention to Loki

"Yes, that is what I said; that is the name of the creature" He answered

"Why do you ask, Emma?" Natasha questioned

Emma shook her head "No, nothing… never mind"

"Anyways… Thor and Loki have been sent to help find this threat; now, we think it is related to the situation in Central Park yesterday morning… Lieutenant, would you mind debriefing our… guests?"

She nodded and stood up, walking to the top of the large glass table where she could control the screens "As most of you know, yesterday at noon a bio-hazardous attack occurred in Central Park. Twenty people were affected and up to this point, half of them have perished to the attack"

"What sort of attack?" Thor asked

"Well, the accounts of the victims were constant and coherent among them: a wolf sort of animal approached to one of the girls who are now infected and seconds later it turned into a kind of smoke…" Emma continued

"What color was the smoke?" Loki questioned

"Red… how did you…?" Emma said

"It is Fenrir; there is no doubt about it…" Loki told Thor

"Who is this Fenrir you keep talking about?" Natasha interrogated with curiosity

"Fenrir is a beast who threatened to destroy Asgard and Vanaheim on various occasions. Almost twenty seven years ago he, along with his army of wild beasts, stood against Odin and against us, his family" Thor narrated "After a long siege we manage to defeat his army and Loki… Loki injured Fenrir gravely enough to win us the battle… but it all came at great cost…" Thor saw the look of his younger brother cover with shadow "Many lives were lost but in the end he was defeated…"

"Then, if he was defeated…" Steve started

"He escaped. He injured one of the greatest gods in Asgard and fled" Thor said

"How?" Emma asked

"We do not know" Loki answered quite rudely

"That is one of the things we are here to find out… but he must be captured and defeated at once. The incident you told us about, Emma, could repeat itself if he is not stopped and at a larger scale" Thor told her

"Have any of you seen the beast?" Loki directed his attention to all of the Avengers

"Lieutenant Jansen and I sighted him yesterday. He attacked us and then vanished into the same red smoke" Steve explained "And tonight Emma…" He then saw the look that Emma was giving him and saw her shake her head ever-so-slightly

"Emma what?" Thor asked

"Emma… Emma continued with her investigation on the smoke…" Steve lied and saw Emma sigh

"That's it?" Tony asked in disbelief

"Yeah, that's it… there are a lot of technical details which you don't need to know but that's just about it…" Emma rushed to say

"How did you come back, by the by?" Tony continued

"With the Tesseract" Thor said and received shocked stares from everyone, except Loki "I know what you are thinking and my father said it: it is to remain under the care of S.H.I.E.L.D." A sigh of relief could be heard all around the hall

"Very well. Avengers, these are the new orders: find Fenrir and bring him down at any cost"

Everyone stood up and got ready to go back to whatever it was they were doing except for Clint, Steve, Emma, Thor, Fury and Loki.

"What do with do with Reindeer Games?" Clint asked obviously meaning Loki

"You, the Captain and Thor will escort him to one of the secured cells… you know which one I'm talking about" Fury said

"But… he came with me… to help…" Thor tried to object

"Perhaps but Coulson explained it to you, Thor: Loki is still considered a hostile here on Earth" Fury said and left the room

"I am truly sorry, brother" Thor said as Steve and Clint started taking Loki away

Loki only shrugged and let them take him but as they began walking, Emma noticed that Loki had dropped something. She rushed to pick it up and meant to call them so they would stop but she didn't and just saw Loki give her one last meaningful look before being taken away.

At one of the lowest levels of the tower, Steve and Clint put Loki into one of the glass cells and left him alone with Thor.

"I am sorry, Loki. I did not want this"

"They hate me, Thor… I am actually surprised they didn't try to kill me as soon as they saw me" Loki replied leaning against the glass wall "Although… I must say I found agent Barton's effort not to do so quite hilarious"

"Brother, do not entice them to mistreat you… they mean no harm to us and you must not think of retribution"

"Sure, Thor…" After a moment in silence he asked his brother something he had been aching to ask him "Thor… this woman… Fury's lieutenant…"

"Are you talking about Emma?" Thor asked and Loki nodded "What about her?"

"You might believe me to be insane but… do you not think she looks a lot like… her?"

Thor saw Loki's green eyes full of sadness and shook his head "Loki… you will not find Eira in the first woman you encounter here on Earth… it is impossible…"

Loki stepped away from the glass and ran both of his hands through his hair full of frustration "Leave me, Thor"

"What?"

"Leave me alone… please…"

The god of thunder understood "Good night, brother" and after nodding, he left

"Where are you?" Loki asked to the emptiness of the cell

* * *

"Still here?" Coulson asked Emma who sat on one of the chairs around the big glass table in the meeting room

After Loki had been taken away and she had been left alone, Emma had fallen onto the chair feeling both exhausted and hyperactive.  
It had been quite awesome to meet Thor but to be honest with herself it had been a shock meeting the man who had been haunting her dreams as of late.

"Yeah…" Her answered came accompanied by a sigh

"Big day" Coulson said sitting down next to her

"Huge" Emma corrected and then looked up at the agent

"How did you feel about meeting our god friends?" He asked

"Impressed… surprised…" She paused and then remembered when Coulson had been pronounced dead after Loki had stabbed him right through the heart "What he did to you… when you almost died…"

"I died, Emma… but you brought me back… it was…"

"A miracle…" She completed

"I would call it magic"

"Phil… you and I know very well there's no such thing as magic… only facts… numbers… things we can see, touch…"

"As young as you are, Em, you have seen too much of this world. You, especially you shouldn't be saying that… sleep on it"

Coulson stood up and after patting her in the back, walked out of the meeting room leaving an even more confused Emma.

"Magic…" Lifting her head she reached down into her pocket and pulled out what Loki had dropped before he had been taken away

It was a ring. A simple band made out of the most beautiful gold she had ever seen but she realized it was too small to fit a man's finger. Perhaps a woman's…  
As she stared at the piece of jewelry she could read an inscription on the inside of the band: Loki; it read.  
Emma then, made a decision:

She would see him.

* * *

The door slammed shut and Emma turned on the lights of her office. If she was going to do this she had to be extremely careful.

"JARVIS" She called

"Yes, Dr. Jansen?" The mechanical yet very elegant and polite voice said

"I need a favor" JARVIS remained silent "You told me this morning that you could get very deep into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system, correct?"

"Correct"

"How true is that?"

"I am an artificial intelligence device, Dr. Jansen… I cannot lie"

"Good. First: locate Loki Laufeyson's cell in the tower" She instructed and as she started her laptop, JARVIS did his job. The 3D map appeared on her screen "Excellent. Now, I need a visual of all the security cameras" JARVIS did so and the results showed 4 cameras in the cell, 2 in the corridor, 1 in the door and the elevator ones "Block them all"

"Pardon?" The artificial intelligence device actually sounded surprised

"You heard me" She said "Block the image and repeat something that seems gullible "It's an order, JARVIS"

"Yes, doctor"

In a second the images changed ever-so-slightly being replaced with some of Loki standing still or sitting on the bench. It looked real.

"Thanks, JARVIS. And remember, don't tell anyone"

With that, she grabbed her gun, her badge and her S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ID card and rushed out of the office.

* * *

The elevator descended at a very fast pace while Emma tapped her fingers on the steel wall impatiently. She had always been known to break the rules but this was edging on insanity, even for her.

"Hurry up…" She mumbled and moments later the elevator stopped signaling the level number above the door in bright red numbers: B-38 "Basement 38… recklessness here we go…"

As the doors slid open, Emma took very careful and silent steps to get out of the elevator and to make her way to the cell.

After what felt like hours Emma reached something like a chamber with plumbing pipes running all around the place.  
Emma looked up a small glass room in the middle of the chamber barely lit. Without thinking about it she climbed the set of metallic stairs that led up to the sub-level where the small glass-walled room was.

"Identification requested" Said a mechanical female voice through the speakers in the room startling Emma slightly

"Jansen Emma A. Foxtrot-Bravo-Zero-Seven-Nine-Six-Alpha-Charlie" She recited

"Lieutenant Jansen E. Level Six clearance" The voice replied and suddenly the lights brightened "Welcome, Lieutenant"

"Thanks… I think…" Emma mumbled and looked forward noticing that the glass was opaque

Stepping further forward she slowly reached out and touched the glass; it immediately turned clear and Emma couldn't help to gasp and jump back as she came face to face with the man who had tried to destroy life as they knew it; the man who had tried to killed Coulson and the rest of the Avengers along with the rest of human kind: Loki.

"Oh my God…" She gasped taking a step back

"You can call me Loki" He replied tilting his head to the side intrigued by this woman "Emma Jansen, am I not correct?" She nodded "What brings you here, Emma?"

"I… I don't…" Emma stammered

"Oh… don't tell me you came here by mistake?" Emma narrowed her eyes at this and Loki took that as a yes. He began pacing up and down the length of the glass, his hands behind his back "You know… I keep wondering how your stupid Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. with such stupid agents … could defeat a god…" He stopped walking "Like myself" Now he stared at her with something that Emma was pretty sure resembled hatred

"If we are so lame and stupid… how come you're locked up and I'm out here?" Emma couldn't help her defiant side take over her. She was not about to take this horse crap from anyone and even less from one of Earth's worst enemies

"Uuu… sassy…" He hissed and then leaned forward getting almost face to face with Emma, with the exception of the height, of course "I like that" He added

"Yeah, I'm sure you do…" She rolled her eyes at him trying to remain composed "You don't like any of us…"

"How could I? You are nothing but a bunch of idiotic, pathetic and insignificant humans…"

"Who do you think you are, huh? I've done nothing against you; you don't even know me…"

"I do not need to know you… I know how you are… I know how all of you are… stupid, puny, worthless little humans who once worshiped us, gods… and someday you will do it again"

"You sound so sure of yourself but you seem to have forgotten where you are, Mr. Laufeyson" She snapped back

"Are you afraid of me?" Loki challenged her

"No" She did feel safer knowing he couldn't get out of there but she was lying; she feared him… a lot

Emma saw Loki walk in a very cat-like manner towards her and stopped when the tips of his boots hit the glass wall "You should be"

"Why? Because you have daddy issues? Because you almost obliterated all life on Earth? Because you are powerful and I'm not? That's not enough to scare me, Mr. Laufeyson"

"What would it take to scare someone like you, woman?" Emma didn't really know what to answer. Yes, she felt safer behind the glass but that didn't mean she wasn't scared of Loki and whatever he was capable of doing "What happened? Did the cat get your tongue?"

She only lifted her chin and said nothing but then noticed that Loki had narrowed his eyes as if analyzing her "What?" She asked suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious "What are you staring at?"

"You" He simply replied and continued to look deep into her eyes as if trying to decipher something

"Me? Why?" She asked not being able to look away but he didn't answer so she finally tore her gaze from his

"No" Loki said "Look at me" He commanded and Emma couldn't refuse, looking back at him "I know your face…"

"I… no… I don't think so…" Emma's voice faltered slightly as he continued to measure her up intently

"No… you are right… we have never met… you are too insignificant to catch my attention" Loki's demeanor relaxed and gave a step back

"Insignificant? Seriously, man, make up your mind already, will you?" She said

"How dare you speak to me like that?" Loki shouted

"I dare because I can… and because, apparently no one ever put you in your right place" Emma then lifted her hand, ready to turn it back to its opaque state "It was a mistake to come here"

"You did not come here by mistake, did you?" Loki asked behind the opaque glass and with a sigh she touched the glass and became clear once more "What do you want?"

"I don't know…" Once again, Loki gave her that confused look "I… well… yes, I came to give this back to you" She softly said and took the ring from her pocket

Loki's eyes widened as he stared through the glass at the object in Emma's hand "Where did you find that?"

"I… I believe you dropped it when they were bringing you down here" She said

"And you found it?" She nodded "And you want to give it back to me?" She nodded again "Why?"

"Because it's yours… I don't keep things which are not mine" He said nothing still clearly confused "How is that difficult to understand?"

"It is not… it is honest"

"Well, yes…" He shifted his eyes between her face and the ring in her hand "How can I get it to you?"

Loki looked down and thought for a moment "Keep it" He finally said

"What?" Emma asked in shock

"Keep it. Guard it for me until you can give it back to me" His tone was mellow, almost seductive

"I… no… I couldn't…"

"You did me the favor of coming down to give it back without me asking. Now I am asking you to safe keep it" Emma could see he was speaking truthfully; no trickery could be traced behind his words or in his green eyes so she finally nodded "What do you do?"

"Pardon?"

"What do you do here? What is your work?" He inquired feeling curious about this mortal

"I… I am an agent"

"What more that that? And do not lie" He smiled and she couldn't help to scoff

"I am a doctor…" He cocked his head to the side in wonderment "Mmm… perhaps you know us as… healers?" He nodded "Well, that's what I do…"

"A healer… and do you hold any power?"

"You mean like super strength or something like that? No… nothing… why?"

"I did not believe Fury had simple humans in his freak group"

"I am not an Avenger if that's what you're asking and I am not simple…" She defended

"I can see that…" Emma was a little taken aback. Had he just paid her a compliment?

"Well… I… I should get going… I only wanted to give this back so…" She trailed off

"Will I see you again?" He asked as she started to turn around

"I… well, probably… if we are to work together on this case…"

"I would like to see you again" He insisted

"Ok… great… uhmm… thanks…" And then Emma heard him utter two words she never thought he's speak

"Thank you" This made her look up at him, her eyes wide as plates "Thank you, healer"

Being absolutely besotted she could only nod before touching the glass, turning it opaque and walking (practically stumbling) away without realizing how much she had affected Loki.

* * *

**I just love how sassy they are with each other... (and apparently Loki likes that too, LOL)**

**I hooooooooooooooooooooope you liked it and I you continue to read my very humble story (not so humble... it rocks! ok, sorry, I didn't mean to sound arrogant but if I don't cheer myself up then who will? WHO?)**

**I'll be seeing you real soon, my darlings ;) and don't forget,**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	8. 7 The Female Counterpart Of The Hulk

**My darlings! Welcome to today's chapter! ;)  
So-She-Smiled, Azure Seraphina, LauDuJardin, coolsweetness55, StepiLady, AccioVoldemortsNose and donnabella2k7, thank you so much for your reviews... you are all incredibly sweet and supportive!  
I think I forgot to thank someone last time and that's cocoatd and you know why I want to thank her so much? BECAUSE SHE GAVE ME A VIRTUAL COOKIE! It was virtually delicious, thank you so much for the amazing detail, darling ;)**

**In this chapter... what do say about this chapter... I have to say it... it's really dramatic and angsty and all that stuff so, get a box of tissues, a glass of wine and perhaps some sort of herbal tea... to calm your nerves. LOL**

**Before anything happens, the song of choice for this chapter is: I'll See It Through by Texas :)**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN – THE FEMALE COUNTERPART OF THE HULK**

"JARVIS, could you call agent Barton and ask him to come to my office, please?"

"Yes, Dr. Jansen"

Emma had barely had any sleep the night before but she felt incredibly full of energy. She had run by a coffee shop, gotten herself her drink of choice and driven straight to the Tower. Before leaving the house, of course she had called Steve to tell him she'd drive to the tower herself since she had many things to do before her official check in hour. Obviously, he had been disappointed and she had noticed but that wasn't going to change her mind.  
Once at the office, long before many of the white-collar workers had arrived she had practically run to her office.  
There, JARVIS let her know that the files she had asked him for were ready: Adrianna Moore's, the super-humans', the vigilantes' and of course, Loki's.

As she waited for Clint to get there, she sat on her chair, leaning back against it and looking at her left hand which held Loki's ring. Softly passing her fingers around it she could've sworn she felt a surge of energy run through her veins.

"Emma?" She heard Clint calling as he knocked the door, startling her and almost dropping the ring

"Yes, Clint, come in" Emma replied as she hastily put the ring back in her pocket

"JARVIS said you wanted to see me" He said and closed the door behind him "Wait, that made me feel like I was in the principal's office" Emma laughed wholeheartedly

"I assure you it's not as bad as that… actually… I have good news for you…"

"You do?" Emma nodded and with a swift movement of her hand the digital file she had on her desk slid across the glass surface, stopping right in front of Clint "Is this…?"

"Ms. Moore's file, yes… or what S.H.I.E.L.D. has on her…" She saw him read with interest "Why hadn't you told me she used to be an agent here?"

"Would that have helped?"

"Maybe… I guess we'll never know, will we?" She smiled and stood up walking to the window "I believe I saw her, Clint"

"Who? Adrianna?" She nodded "When? Where?"

"I hadn't really connected the dots up until this morning when I read her… special characteristics… but, do you remember that Steve and I mentioned some sort of super-human during our escapade to Central Park 2 days ago?" He nodded "Well, now I have no doubts it was her"

"She's an elemental super-human" Clint said and she nodded "She's incredibly powerful…"

"I read she broke relations with S.H.I.E.L.D. because of a tragic accident" Clint exhaled at this

"We were on a remote op in Stockholm… there was an arms dealer hiding there with many hostages. It was practically a siege. Fury made the decision to take the arms dealer down without thinking about the hostages. Adrianna… she was young and eager and she wanted to look good in front of Fury… I tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen… she followed the order and with her powers tore the building apart. The dealer was killed… along with over half of the hostages" Emma shook her head understanding "Adrianna never forgave herself or Fury, for that matter… she resigned to S.H.I.E.L.D. and disappeared…"

"I'm really sorry, Clint…" She walked to him, leaned against the table and placed a hand on his knee "Well, now you know she's here in New York"

"I'm not sure she will want to see me"

"Why do you say that? You had nothing to do with what happened… you even tried to prevent it"

"When Adrianna left… she told me she was not worthy of my friendship and that her biggest punishment would be having to leave and never see me again… she sees this, whatever she's doing as a way to atone for her sins"

Emma looked at her friend sympathetically and then typed something on the keyboard of her desk and a piece of paper came out of the printer; she immediately handed it to him.

"What's this?"

"Ms. Moore's address"

Emma winked at him and he stood up and rushed to the door but then ran back to her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks, Em. You're the best"

She smiled and saw him hurry out of the office "That's simple compared to my problem…" She mumbled

Taking a seat behind her desk she began reading Loki's file but there wasn't anything in it she didn't know. Apparently, S.H.I.E.L.D. knew just as much as she did about the god of mischief.

"Is this all you could find on Loki, JARVIS?"

"Yes, doctor. I looked deeper, as you asked but nothing. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't seem to know much about him"

Emma stared at the screen of her computer where the footage from the cameras at Loki's cell could be seen. There was something about him that intrigued her… that fascinated her…  
Her pager then went off, breaking her train of thoughts.

'Betty Connors' it read.

Running out of her office she made her way to the infirmary where Bruce and some other doctors and nurses were working.

"What happened?" She asked

"She's suffering congestive heart failure" Bruce said

"Give me a shot of Epi and bring the crash cart" She instructed turning her attention to the five year old girl "C'mon, Betty; don't do this… don't leave your daddy alone…"

Bruce handed her the syringe and Emma injected the girl but it didn't work so they began defibrillating. Nothing. Betty had flat-lined.

"No… not you, Betty…" Emma threw the pallets to the floor and started making compressions on the girl's chest and giving her mouth to mouth breathing "C'mon, Betty… c'mon… I'm not letting you die"

Emma's hands rested on her girl's small immobile chest as she spoke to her and suddenly her chest began ascending and descending; Betty was breathing.

"Wait, we have a pulse. It's increasing" Bruce announced and Emma looked up at the girl who was still unconscious but very much alive "Her vitals are strong and steady, Emma…"

Emma stood up nodding but she felt amazingly weak and drowsy so, as she made her way away from Betty's bed she collapsed and everything around her went black.

"Emma!" Bruce shouted rushing to her. He carried her and placed her on one of the empty beds "Emma, what is it? Wake up… nurse, call agent Coulson and tell him Dr. Jansen passed out in the infirmary"

The nurse nodded and did as she was told while Bruce tried to figure out what was wrong with Emma.

* * *

"Stark" Tony heard Coulson's voice at the other end of his phone

"Coulson, what's up? Are you gonna ask me to sponsor another getaway of yours with the cellist?" Tony joked

"No, Stark. Dr. Jansen is in the infirmary"

"Well, I suppose she is…" Tony shrugged and gave Thor and Steve, who were looking at him, a questioning look

"No, I mean… she passed out"

"What? Why?" His tone changed in a matter of seconds and both Steve and Thor noticed

"What is it, Stark?" Steve asked

"I'm on my way there but I thought you'd like to know" Coulson said and hung up

"What happened?" Thor questioned

"Emma's unconscious" Tony answered and he rushed to the elevator followed by Steve and Thor

"Why?" Thor asked

"I don't know. Coulson didn't say"

None of them said anything else as the elevator took them down to the infirmary.

* * *

"What happened?" Steve asked as the 3 Avengers made their way to Emma's bed

"I don't know. One minute she was reviving a patient and the next she walks away and faints…" Bruce explained

"Is she alright?" Thor inquired

"Yes; her blood pressure was a little low at first but now it's normal… her sugar levels are normal… everything is normal…" Bruce said

Then Emma began stirring and moving her head.

"Em? Emma, hey…" Tony told her taking her hand as she opened her eyes "Hello there, doc"

"What happened? Where am I?" She asked groggily

"You are at the infirmary, Emma. You passed out right after reviving Betty…" Bruce said

"You gave us one hell of a scare, Dr. Jansen" Coulson said

"I'm… sorry?" Emma replied "Betty… how is she?"

"She's much better… surprisingly so… even better than before she crashed, actually" Bruce said

"Well, that's good, right?" Bruce nodded

"I'm going back up, people. Get some rest, Emma" Coulson said and after squeezing Emma's hand he left

"How are you feeling?" Thor questioned her

"I'm… I'm fine… a little confused… I really don't know why that happened…"

"Did you get enough sleep last night? What did you have for breakfast?" Steve interrogated

"I'm alright, Steve; don't bother yourself… I just felt slightly weak after attending on Betty but it paid off; she's way better, you heard Bruce"

"Banner said you revived the girl" Thor said a million thoughts running through his head and she nodded "And then you fainted" She nodded again "Odd…"

"How is that odd? It was probably the surge of adrenaline and then the drop of it, as simple as that…" Emma snapped back sitting up and getting ready to go back to work

"Whoa… where do you think you're going?" Steve asked

"To work… I have like a thousand things to do today…" Emma told him and started to walk away "Thanks for coming, by the way"

"She is quite… impetuous is she not?" Thor pointed out

"You have no idea…" Steve replied still looking at Emma

* * *

Clint had pulled over at the address Emma had given him but had spent the last 20 minutes holding on tightly to the wheel trying to figure out what to do next. He wasn't entirely sure how Adrianna would react when she'd see him; she could very well try to kill him, just like the last time he had located her. But he had to see her; he had to talk to her and make her see that she wasn't alone; that she had him.

"If only you had a better temper, Adrianna… you are like the female counterpart of the Hulk, I swear…" He leaned his forehead against the wheel and exhaled

"When are you planning on coming up and knock on my door?" A woman's voice said through the open passenger window but since he was not expecting that to happen he jumped hitting his head against the roof of the SUV and hitting the horn with his hands making the woman laugh

"Ouch…" He mumbled rubbing the top of his head and then looked back at the woman "Adrianna…"

"Hey, Clint" She replied with a sweet smile

"Uhmm… how long have you been there?"

"Long enough"

"I figured as much…"

"Come on" Adrianna told him, motioning him to follow and he did

They entered the fancy building and climbed a couple of stair flights before she instructed him to turn to his right, towards her apartment.

He watched her as she walked before him: her olive skin, her long light brown hair and her deep brown eyes hadn't changed a bit. She was still the beautiful, intelligent and bubbly woman she had loved for so long.

Once at the apartment, she let him in and closed the door behind her. While she did this, Clint walked around the living room and took the place in, whistling a little.

"What?" Adrianna asked joining him

"You've got a nice place" Clint complimented

"Thanks… please, make yourself comfortable… can I get you anything? Water, coffee, a beer?" She offered

"A beer would be nice, thanks"

"Sure" She smiled at him before walking into the kitchen "I was expecting to see you here sooner" She conversed from the other side of the wall

"What do you mean?" During the pause in which she decided what to answer, Clint spotted a photo that rested on the mantelpiece above the fireplace

"Well, I thought I was very inconspicuous the day before yesterday at the park with your friends from S.H.I.E.L.D." Adrianna told him walking back in with 2 beers in hand "Here you go" She handed him one

"Thanks… yeah… they did mention seeing some sort of elemental super-human vigilante" He replied

"Wow… that's… incredibly precise and descriptive" She said taking a sip of her bottle

"That's Emma" Clint told her also drinking

"Emma?"

"Yes… she's the agent you saw at the park… along with one of the Avengers"

"Ah, yes… I thought he looked familiar… was it the Captain?" Clint nodded "Mmm… he's got a nice bod"

"Hey!"

"What? He does!" Adrianna snapped and they both laughed

"What were you doing there?" Clint asked concerned "What do you know about the smoke?"

"I know it is not from here; I know it is highly toxic, I know a beast had something to do with it and… and I know the beast is not working on its own…"

"What do you mean?"

"I saw it speaking to someone else… a man but I couldn't see his face… he wore a silver cloak and a hood… I couldn't hear what they were saying but I did hear the beast calling the man something like… master… or something like that" She explained

"And you know that because…?"

"Because it's my job…"

"And what job is that?"

"To look after the people in this city"

"All by yourself"

"Well, you Avengers come in handy from time to time" Adrianna responded taking another sip of beer and he scoffed "Don't look at me like that, Clint…"

"How?" He asked closing the distance between them "Come back"

"What?"

"Come back… to S.H.I.E.L.D."

Adrianna stepped back and glared at him "How can you ask me that?"

"Because I want you to stop hiding… to stop lurking the shadows like some sort of… criminal"

"I am a criminal, Clint" She gave her back at him letting the drink on the table "I can still hear the screams… at night… I…"

"Nan" He said calling her by her old nickname and grabbing her upper arms, making her face him "You were following orders… you didn't know something like that would happen"

"No but you did and you warned me… and I refused to listen to you and for what? To earn a place in Fury's prize shelf? I was young and stupid and reckless and I am the one to blame for all of those deaths"

"Adrianna… listen to me… you have to stop this… you have to start living your life without trying to mend that which cannot be mended. They are dead and nothing you do will bring them back but you… you can start living the life that fate has in store for you…" Adrianna gave her back at him

She couldn't help to feel completely vulnerable whenever Clint was around. He had been her friend for a very long time; he had trained her and he had become in such an important part of her life and yet…

"No" She stated dryly wiping the tears that had started to well up in her eyes

"No? But…"

"I told you the last time you came to find me, Clint… I am not coming back… ever" Adrianna finally faced him with a stern expression "And don't insist, Clint. Be thankful I opened the doors of my home for you to come"

"Adrianna, don't do this" Clint meant to approach to her but she immediately pulled out a concealed gun from her back and pointed it at him, making him stop

"Don't push it, agent Barton" Her tone became even harsher but Clint took another couple of steps forward and she loaded her gun, removing the lock "Stop"

"Or what? You'll shoot me?" He dared her

"You know I would"

Clint continued to stare at her intensely but halted, nodding "Thanks for the information, Ms. Moore. I will not bother you again" Adrianna was completely taken aback by what he said and lowered her gun slightly watching him walk to the door "Good bye, Adrianna"

And with that, he was gone while Adrianna dropped the gun and covered her face which was by now stained with tears.

* * *

"Eira…" Emma heard the whisper surrounding her in the air and she looked around trying to find the source of the voice "Eira…" And then the word changed "Emma…"

She had been checking on the patients and continuing working on the antidote to the pathogen in the smoke and even when she was surrounded by loads of people she could hear the voice speaking very clearly.

"Would you excuse me, Mr. Matthews?" She told the patient she was working on and stood up, walking to Bruce "Hey, Bruce"

"Hey, Em; how are you feeling?" He asked her

"Fine, fine, I'm fine… thanks… hey… uhmm… did you just call me?"

"Uhmm… nope… no, I didn't…"

"Are you sure? Because I could swear I heard someone calling me…"

"No, Emma… it wasn't me… hey, are you sure you're alright?" He approached to her and placed the back of his hand on her forehead "You don't have a fever…"

"I told you I'm fine, Bruce… hey, do you think you could hold up the fort without me for a little while?" She asked

"Yeah, of course"

"Great, thanks; I owe you… page me if you need me" Emma said and practically ran out of the infirmary but not without Bruce noticing how strangely she had been behaving.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

After leaving the infirmary, Emma had gone to her office, asked JARVIS to block the security cameras in Loki's cell and gone down to Basement-38 to see Loki.  
She was sure he had had something to do with that voice and she was going to get him to confess one way or another.

"I do not know what you are talking about" Loki said "Are you sure it is safe for you to be here at this time of the day?"

"What do you care? Just answer my question: What are you doing?"

"What am I doing with what?"

"With me! Why do you keep messing with my mind?" Emma almost shouted this feeling frustrated and tired

"I am not messing with your mind… why would I…?" Loki started but she interrupted him

"Then why do you keep sending that very eerie and creepy voice into my thoughts? Why do you keep calling me Eira?"

Loki was immediately flustered by this and he rushed to face Emma from the other side of the cell "How do you know that name?" Emma was a little taken aback by this and he insisted "Tell me! Where have you heard that name?"

"I… I told you… don't pretend not to know, Loki… I know it is you who…"

"I am not doing anything to your mind! How do you know that name, healer?"

"I don't know it from anywhere! I… I've been hearing it… in… in my mind… as if someone was calling me but instead of calling me Emma they were using the name Eira…"

Leaning against the glass, Loki once again looked deep down into her eyes seeking for some sort of dishonesty but could find none "Who are you? Why have you come to haunt me?" He whispered a trail of sadness clear in his tone

"What?"

"How could you possibly know that name? How…? Who are you?" He repeated and raised his hand as if trying to reach out to touch Emma's face

"I must go" She said not being able to break the eye contact with him

"Do not go… please… let me… let me see your face…"

"You have seen my face before, Loki… why is it different now?"

"I… I do not know…"

Emma couldn't reply and just took off running leaving Loki shouting and pounding the glass with his fists "Emma! Emma!"

* * *

**In the name of everything we hold sacred! Seriously... I pity Emma, she's going through so much right now... and what about poor Clint? This Adrianna is way too proud for her own sake, don't you reckon?**

**Oh, well... I guess we'll have to wait for the lovely writer to let us know whatever she's planning (Oh, yes... that would be me... LOL)**

**Once again, thank you so very very much and I hope you're enjoying your time in this little, freaky world of mine ;)**

**ASSEMBLE, my darlings (can you imagine Fury saying that? HILARIOUS!)**

**Bye-bye!**  
**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	9. 8 My Very Horny NonFriend

**LauDuJardin, StepiLady, lovelyanimeangel, Leelee909, donnabella2k7, cocoatd, ArtemisLuna85, catwoman90808, AccioVoldemortNose and Daughter Of Loki.001 (wow... that was a mouthful of names, not that I'm complaining, though LOL) Thank you all so much and welcome to the new readers and reviewers :)  
Mmm... what is there to say about this chapter? Nothing... I have nothing to say today... (call an ambulance!)  
I'm sleepy, what can I say? :( Sorry.**

**Ok, so, usual disclaimers: BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH**

**And the song of the day is... *drum roll*: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol**

**ENJOY! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT – MY VERY HORNY NON-FRIEND**

"Sir… a word?" Coulson asked Fury who only nodded and they walked to a secluded corner

"What's on your mind, Coulson?"

"Sir… I think perhaps the time has come"

"What do you mean?" Fury questioned

"I mean about Emma… Dr. Jansen"

"What makes you think the time is right?"

"Because Dr. Banner has reported significant betterment in all the surviving victims since this morning…"

"And?"

"And it all happened after Dr. Jansen revived one of them, a girl and then started checking on the rest of them…" Coulson explained and Fury's brow furrowed

"You mean to say that she is doing to them what she did to you when Loki attacked you?" Coulson nodded and Fury began pacing "How many of them have improved?"

"All of them, sir"

"Do you think it's got something to do with Thor and Loki's return?" Fury asked

"Who knows, sir but what is certain is that she starting to show the signs… she even fainted after bringing that girl back to life…" Fury remained silent "What should we do, sir? Should we tell her?"

"No… not yet. Let's see what happens when she is in contact with the gods… release Loki and get him to where Jansen is"

* * *

"Dr. Jansen" JARVIS called

Emma had returned to her office and had decided to take Coulson's advice: to rest.  
She had lain down on the couch she kept in the room, closed her eyes and had tried to think of something other than Loki but it seemed impossible. She had ended up reaching into her pocket and fidgeting with Loki's ring.

"What, JARVIS?" She asked, her eyes still closed

"You have an approaching visitor" JARVIS said

"J, I told you, the only thing I'm attending right now apart from whenever my pager sounds, it's my rest" She replied not bothering at all

"Not even if it is your favorite god?" Emma immediately recognized the voice, opening her eyes wide and sitting straight up, coming face to face with no other than the god of mischief himself

"What the hell are you doing here? How did you get out of your cell? Please tell me I didn't have anything to do with that…" She said covering her face with her hands

"No, you did not" He replied approaching to her "I believe we were in the middle of a conversation"

"No, we were not. Now get out of my office" She demanded standing up and walking to the door, opening it and revealing Coulson "Coulson! This is not what it seems… I didn't let him out! He… well, I don't know how he got out but…"

"Calm down, lieutenant. I brought him here" The agent responded

"Oh, I see… You what?" Emma shouted at him in front of a very amused Loki "How dare you? Why?"

"Director Fury thinks that incorporating him to the agency and the team will be a key component to his collaboration"

"That didn't answer my question, Phil…" Emma narrowed her eyes enraged at this

"The colonel wants you to lead Loki through his time here on Earth…"

"WHAT? As if didn't have enough work or worries… or sleepless night for that matter…" This last part she mumbled them mostly to herself "But I thought he was considered a hostile… doesn't that mean he's dangerous?"

"Oh, I do love it when people talk about me as if I weren't in the room" Loki intervened

"You shut up! I'm not done with you just yet… and you…" She said striding towards him and pointing a finger at him menacingly but by the time she had turned back to Coulson she saw the agent closing the door and practically running for his life "You come back here, Coulson! I've got a word or two for you and Fury to stick up your…"

"No foul words, please" Loki said with a smile on his face having quite a lot of fun with the scene

"Or what?" She asked slamming the door

"You seriously do not want to threaten me, healer"

"And you don't want to mess with me when I'm in a bad mood, Loki" Emma exhaled and walked straight to her couch, ignoring Loki

"So… what do we do now?" He asked fidgeting a little

"Well, I don't know about you but I was about to take a nap…"

"Can we finish our conversation?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"Because I say so, that's why"

"And what if I say otherwise?"

"I'm not gonna get away with mine, am I?" She asked opening only one eye and seeing him shaking his head "Argh… ok, ok…"

"I do not understand why you complain. You are the one who came downstairs to shout at me in the first place" Loki said leaning against the desk. Emma said nothing and just stared at him as he stared at her. It was like a non-fun staring contest "What you came to ask me…"

"Look, Loki… like I said before, I haven't been getting enough sleep… I was probably making it up… my mind was playing tricks on me" She said shaking her head and looking down

She suddenly felt a pair of hands touching hers and she was forced to look up; surprised to see Loki staring down at her with some sort of kindness.

"What was the name you heard?" He asked softly and then kneeled in front of her, getting to her level

"Eira" She simply said and he closed his eyes at this

"Was it the first time you…?"

"No… about two days ago… it was the same… like a whisper… but I'm not entirely sure that's what it was saying… after all, Eira sounds a hell of a lot like Emma so…" She started feeling how he was softly caressing the back of her left hand and she remembered something "I forgot… here…" She pulled her hands from his and took the ring out, handing it to him "I promised to give it back as soon as I could… here…"

Loki looked at the ring in her hand and then took it, closing his hand in a fist "Thank you…"

"Not a problem" She said and stood up, meaning to get away from him, not out of repulsion but on the contrary; she felt a strange magnetism drawing her towards him but she was fighting with body and soul to avoid it, but he wouldn't let her; he reached out and grabbed her wrist "Let me go"

"No"

"Sorry?" He gave her a stern glare "I believe I told you to…"

"I heard you… I just refuse to do it"

"JARVIS, call Steve and Thor" Emma said

"Doctor?" JARVIS asked

"You heard me"

"Yes, doctor"

"Do not call them… please" He practically begged letting her go

"JARVIS" Emma said after a moment without taking her eyes off Loki

"Called interrupted, doctor"

"Thank you" He told her honestly

"Loki… I can't act like this around you… I should not…" She said giving her back at him

"And by 'like this' you mean…" He asked

"I don't know you… and yet…"

She felt him walk up to her and his breath against her hair, making her even more nervous "And yet?" Loki asked

Emma turned around and faced him getting lost in those green eyes which were full of sadness and concealed vulnerability "If only I could explain it…" She raised her hand and reached out to touch his cheek

"Who are you?" He repeated in a whisper as he leaned down, aiming for her lips

"I am…" She felt entranced by him and was about to give in but…

"Hey, Em!" Tony's voice came from the door, startling her and making her give a couple of steps back from Loki "Whoa… what are you doing here, Rudolph? How did you get out of your cell?"

Tony barged into the office and grabbed Loki by the collar of his Asgardian garments slamming him against the nearest wall.

"No, Tony, stop!" Emma shouted rushing to them and trying to get Tony to let go of Loki "Coulson brought him under orders from Fury"

"What? Why?" Tony asked glaring at Loki with murderous eyes

"Something about wanting him to incorporate to the team, I think. Please, Tony, let him go" She struggled as she explained and finally Tony obliged but not without giving Loki a small push as he let go

"Good day to you too, Mr. Stark" Loki joked as he straightened his attire

"I'll have a good day when I won't have to deal with douchebags like you" Tony said and turned to Emma "Did he hurt you?"

"No, no, of course not" Emma replied adamantly

"Ok then… well, William Tell is back and he's asked us to meet him upstairs… and I suppose that includes Mr. Whistles & Buckles here" Tony said eyeing Loki

"Yes; we'll be right there, Tony, thank you" Emma said meaning for him to go

"What? I'm not leaving you alone with this creep" Tony told her

"I'll be fine, Tony; don't worry… I've dealt with worse" She reassured him

"Alright… but if you're not up there in five minutes I'm coming to get you" He warned them both and left giving one of his nastiest glances to Loki before leaving

"I'm so sorry about that" She told Loki

"Do not apologize" Loki said, that softer look returning "So, you have dealt with worse than me?"

"Ah… you heard that…" Emma said chuckling nervously scratching the back of her head "Well… in a way I have… you've never seen Fury in a bad mood"

Loki couldn't help to smile genuinely at this and nodded "We should go. I do not want Mr. Stark to kill me before I figure out who you are"

Emma stared at him with some sort of fascination but nodded in agreement, leading him out of the office and towards the elevator. This was going to be a very interesting day.

* * *

"Un-freaking-believable" Tony exclaimed as he walked into the meeting room and took a seat

"What?" Natasha asked "What trouble have you gotten yourself in this time?"

"Me? Oh, no, don't look at me, Tarantula… this time it wasn't me"

"Then who?" Steve asked

"Emma" Tony said and they all looked at him in disbelief "Oh, so you don't know either? Well, let me break the news for you: Emma's got a new friend… or a pet, I'm still torn"

"What are you talking about, Stark?" Clint asked in a very bad mood

The elevator doors opened revealing Emma and very surprisingly accompanied by Loki. Everyone's jaws dropped at the sight and a mortal silence fell upon them.

"I'm talking about that" Tony finally broke the freezing silence by pointing at them

"Brother" Thor greeted coming into the room "Are you well?" Loki nodded and glanced at Emma for a split second "Emma, are you better?"

"Yes, Thor, thank you" She replied with a polite smile

"Better?" Loki asked

"I… I'll tell you later" Emma murmured to him and then returned her attention to the rest of the Avengers "You wanted to talk to us, Clint?"

"Yes… yes…" Clint said hurriedly trying to hide his distractedness

"About…?" Tony asked

"I talked to a… contact… she told me she saw the beast, Fenrir talking to someone else…"

Clint told them all everything Adrianna had told him about Fenrir and the stranger and they all agreed it was good.

"It is an advantage. Fenrir does not know we know about his partner" Thor commented

"Let's hope we can find Fenrir before he strikes again" Steve said solemnly

A while after discussing everything (with everyone giving Loki nasty glares) the group divided in three: Loki stood on his own leaning against the wall on the farthest corner; Steve, Tony, Bruce, Natasha and Thor continued to talk about Clint's intel and Emma, noticing Clint's change of mood had decided to chat with him.

"What's wrong, Hawk?" She asked and noticed him lower his head "You saw her?" He nodded "And… it didn't go very well…" He shook his head "What happened?"

"Just so you can get an idea, she ended up pointing a gun at me" Clint told her

"Oh, Clint; I'm so sorry… I didn't think things were that bad" Emma patted him on the back "Are you seeing her again?"

"I'm not losing track of her, if that's what you mean…"

"You wouldn't be yourself if you did" Emma reassured "Is there anything I can do to help?" He shook her head and gave her a weak smile "She'll come to her senses , you'll see"

"I hope you're right, Em… you usually are so… we'll see…" He replied and then noticed Loki staring at them "What's up with him? What is he doing here and why did he come with you?"

"Well, Fury told Coulson to take him to my office"

"What for?"

"To help him 'integrate' properly, apparently" She said looking at Loki

"And why you?" and she shrugged "You don't mind?"

"I guess not… I mean… he's really all alone so… I don't know…"

"You like him, don't you? I mean… you actually think he is a miserable soul"

"No! Well… maybe… I don't know, Clint… Fury is yanking my chain and dealing with Loki doesn't make it any easier but… I don't know... I suppose it's what you said… I really don't mind…"

"You like everyone, Em" Clint said

"I do not!" Emma defended

"Yeah, you do" And she shook her head "Oh, really? Name someone you don't like. She opened her mouth and tried to say something but he interrupted her "And it can't be Fury. We all know he's not saint of your devotion…"

"Well, I don't like you right now… does that count?" She asked making him laugh

"Emma…" Steve called walking to them accompanied by Tony, Bruce and Natasha "What's going on? Why is he here?"

"Clint, would you mind explaining? Loki's giving us quite an annoyed glare "Excuse me" She said apologizing and walking towards Loki who was, by this point, talking to Thor

While Clint explained everything to the other Avengers, Emma made her way to the god-like brothers.

"Loki was telling me about Fury's idea" Thor told Emma

"What do you think?" Emma asked him

"As long as Loki cooperates… will you, brother?" Thor asked and Loki nodded

"Of course" He said

"Good" Thor said with a huge grin patting his brother quite violently in the back "Take good care of Emma, Loki. She seems to be brave enough to deserve you" He joked as he walked away leaving a very uncomfortable and blushed Emma next to the very tall god of mischief

"What happened to you earlier?" Loki inquired after a moment in silence

"Oh, that… it was nothing… I just… I fainted"

"Why? Did you feel unwell?" He asked looking at her truly concerned

"I think I did…"

"But you are better"

"Like I told Thor before" She nodded "Why do you ask? Are you worried about me?" For a moment Emma's voice adopted a quite cheeky tone

"No" Loki turned back to the front but Emma was sure she saw how his cheeks blushed a little "I was just wondering"

"Curious, aren't we?" She joked and heard him scoff "Did you just laugh?"

"No" But then he looked down and gave her half a smile

"I don't care what Fury says, I'm taking him back to his cell, where he belongs" Emma heard Steve said and completely lost her smile

"He's not going back there" She told Steve with determination

"But Emma, it's not safe… he could escape at any time" Steve tried to explain but Emma cut him off

"No… I don't want to hear about it. I will not allow it" She said adamantly standing between the super soldier and the god of mischief

"Emma, be reasonable" Tony tried to intervened

"Not you, Tony…" She lamented but kept her stand "I'm sorry guys but I won't see him down there again"

"Whatever you think it's right, Em" Tony told her walking past her but stopping for a moment, turning to Loki "But if you dare to hurt her, my very horny non-friend… I swear to you…"

"You don't have to swear anything, Tony… thanks" Emma smiled at him and then Iron Man left followed by Natasha, Clint and Thor

"Are you feeling better, Emma?" Bruce asked approaching to them

"Yes, Bruce, thanks" She reassured and then saw the mild tempered doctor glare at Loki and she could've sworn she saw a glint of green in his brown irises "Uhmm… Steve?"

"I'm sorry, Emma… I don't agree with this… and I don't plan on leaving you alone with this monster" He stated crossing his arms

"You won't have to…" She smiled and both Steve and Loki "You are going to look after Loki while I finish with my to-do list"

"What?" Both men asked

"Yeah, so… I think Loki should get something to eat and then maybe you can explain to him how our operations work?" Emma suggested patting them both in the arm and starting to walk away

"Why not you?" Loki asked from his spot

"Because I have things to do; patients to attend; reports to make; forms to fill and complete my training hours… I haven't done any training in almost a week!" She exclaimed and started to make her way to the elevator "And boys… please, behave… I'll be checking on you in a few hours"

Steve and Loki were left alone in a huge room filled with nothing but tension and discomfort.

"Follow me" Steve finally told Loki and the latter walked after the soldier into the elevator

They descended for a few seconds but then Steve buffed and lounged himself at Loki, doing the same Tony had done earlier, only with more strength: he grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the steel wall making the moving box shake.

"I don't know what you have in mind, Loki but if you dare to hurt Emma in any way I swear I'm gonna rip you open and cut your heart out" Steve threatened as aggressively as he could but didn't get the reaction he had expected; Loki was smirking

"I would not touch a hair in her head even if my life depended on it, Captain" Loki told him and Steve looked at him utterly lost

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I mean it" Loki responded pushing Steve away and fixing his clothes once more

Steve could do nothing but stare at the man who had once threatened to destroy their world with anything other than pure confusion and disbelief.  
Loki was up to no good and Steve would stop him at any cost.

* * *

**Ok, ok... not THAT eventful... ok, a little, maybe LOL.**

**Thank you so very very much and I'll be posting very very soon... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

**Oh and don't forget... ASSEMBLE! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

**Angie.**  
**xoxo**


	10. 9 You Better Shape Up

**You better shape up... *whoop whoop whoop* 'cause I need a man... *whoop whoop whoop* and my heart is set on you... *whoop whoop whoop*  
I thought I'd start this chapter singing (since the title of the chapter gave me the idea for that particular song LOL) so... yeah, ridiculous me HA HA HA.**

**Sweet Lord Loki... 14 reviews for the last chapter... you guys make me soooooooo happy ^_^**

***takes deep breath***

**Leelee909: she was adamant because we don't want Loki locked up! LOL.**  
**So-She-Smiled: I know he was a little OOC in the last one but it is a necessary evil... that will probably repeat itself in the future but it's not THAT bad, is it? LOL. We like sweet Loki, don't we? DON'T WE?.**  
**LauDuJardin: ¿no podrías comentar en inglés para que todo el mundo te entienda? Sorry, I also speak Spanish... :S**  
**gallowsCalibrator92: I can't believe you prefer Emma with Loki! (well, actually, I can *giggles*)**  
**Terra3434: they are like little boys, what can I say?**  
**FanFicPhanatic2010: thank you so much and welcome!**  
**Shapey-00: I know, right? Poor little (yeah, right) Steve...**  
**StepiLady: I'll give you more as soon as I finish this very long rambling of mine, promise LOL. And I don't know what Fury knows about Emma (hehe... I do know)**  
**donnabella2k7: I'm sure Steve will be more that just jealous... (I am the writer, after all, I have to be sure... if not, we're lost!)**  
**LovingMeLovingYou: Welcome and you want action? I'll give you action!**  
**Daughter Of Loki.001: THANK YOU!**  
**Grinning-Loki-Locked: I welcome you and thank you so much... you want a kiss? Wait and see...**  
**AccioVoldemortsNose: What did you ever do to me? Nothing... *whistles innocently while pointing down to the story***  
**Sherrie H: WELCOME TO YOU TOO! Loki's cute and Steve's stupid? Sounds a lot mlike my story LOL**

***gasps for air avoiding to turn blue due to the lack of oxygen***

**Anywhooooooooooo... the usual disclaimers still apply since I still haven't got enough money to at least buy me a Loki of my own so... yeah, I still don't own anything (except for Emma and Adrianna).**

**The song of the day would have to be... *goes through playlist*: Live To Rise by SoundGarden (sorry, I couldn't help it... I love the guitar solo)**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE – YOU BETTER SHAPE UP**

"How do I manage to get myself in this kind of situations?" Emma asked Tony as they walked side by side from the elevator to the training room

The day had gone by quite as usual except for the fact that Emma knew Loki was loose somewhere in the building being babysat by Steve. It had been hours since she had last saw either of them and the only time she had heard from them was when she had called Steve to asked how things had been going at around lunch time "I don't trust him, Em" Steve had told Emma but all she could say was for him to take it easy; that she'd take care of him once she was done with her duties; which she hadn't, of course 'Because the day only has 24 hours' She thought.

"I'm still trying to figure that one out" Tony joked but it didn't comfort Emma in any way "Why are you being so nice to him, anyways? After everything he's done… to all of us… to all human kind!"

"Well, first of all, it wasn't my choice, ok? Fury had Coulson throw him at me like some… lost, abandoned puppy and second…" Emma stopped walking and sighed, leaning against the wall "I don't know, Tony… he's like…" She couldn't found the right words

"Like a lost puppy? I know you like those… I remember when you met Steve… you were trying to teach him everything related to the present world… it was so funny…" Tony chuckled but stopped as soon as he noticed the look Emma was giving him; he cleared his throat and continued "Emma, you can't be taking pity on everyone you meet… he is not a lost puppy; he's a wolf waiting to attack"

"Maybe…" She straightened up and kept walking "But what if he isn't?"

Tony shook his head in frustration and walked after her.  
They weren't in the slightest surprised to see Clint and Natasha doing some sort of training; apparently they had been unwinding and venting out doing some remembrance of the old times. Natasha and Clint were in the middle of a hand to hand bout in which Natasha seemed to be having the upper hand

"Having fun without us, huh?" Tony said as they approached the team

"Oh, look who's decided to join us" Clint said. Natasha took advantage of the distraction and kicked him behind the knees, causing him to fall over on his back "Ouch…"

"I win" Natasha said proudly

"That's not fair! You cheated!" Clint complained

"Don't be such a baby, Barton" Natasha replied helping him up

"I think you might be getting old, Clint" Emma added

"Don't start, Em… I might be older than you but remember who trained you"

"I did" Natasha pointed out

"Hey, and what about me? I've taught you a move or two, haven't I?" Tony asked feeling left out

"If you call that a move…" Emma mumbled

"Oh, yeah? Ok, let's do it, doc…" Tony adopted an up guard position and Emma chuckled

"You don't want to do this, Tony, believe me… not after the week I've had" Emma said "I hope you're aware that I'm not going to be kind to you just because you're my friend, Tony" Emma warned Tony

"And I hope you don't expect me to go soft on you because you're a woman, Em" He snapped back

"Oh, really? Let's see what you've got, Stark" She lifted her chin defiantly

"Hit me with your best shot, Jansen" Tony replied with a cocky smirk plastered on his face

Of course, Tony was the first to attack but the punch that was meant to hit her in the face went right into the air as she skillfully dodged the blow bending down and hitting him in the stomach, causing him to back down a few steps.

"Uuu… you better shape up, Stark" Clint commented

"Shut it, Barton" Tony responded as he charged Emma again

He continued to throw punches at her and she continued to dodge each and every single one of them either by jumping up, bending down, spinning around, falling backwards and getting back on her feet effortlessly and let it be reassured that in between each of Tony's blows Emma would return the favor only that, unlike him, she didn't fail at all.  
In the meantime, Thor sneaked into the room and stood before Clint.

"Thor" Clint said without taking his eyes off the fight

"Why are they fighting?" Thor questioned

"They are training"

"I did not know Emma could fight" Thor said seemingly surprised by it

"You have no idea" Natasha added

"How would you rate Stark?" Clint asked "On a scale from 1 to 10"

"Mmm, probably a 10…" Natasha commented

"With the armor…" Thor pointed out "How about without it?"

"Seven" Clint said

"I'd say a 6…" Natasha suggested

"And Emma?" Thor inquired

"An eleven" Both assassins without hesitation while Thor raised his brows clearly surprised

"I was wrong…" Emma started after avoiding being hit for the gazillienth time "You are the one getting old" She teased, enraging Tony

"Ok, that's it! I've been trying to be a gentleman but you leave me no choice…" He threatened trying to intimidate her but all he got was to make her laugh "Oh, so you find that funny?" She nodded "Well, let's see if you keep laughing when you're on your back and I'm on top of you…"

"Is that some sort of proposition, Mr. Stark?" Emma asked quite innocently distracting Tony completely so she ran towards him, got on her knees halfway through and slid all the way until she was in front of him, kicking his calves and knocking him off his feet, hitting his head and back against the mat. She climbed up on him, pinning him down and smiling widely "You were saying, Stark?"

"You are such a minx, Em" Tony replied with a groan "You know my weakness…"

"We all do, Stark" Thor said from his spot next to Clint

"Hey, carpenter! How long have you been there?" Tony asked as Emma helped him up

"Long enough to see you be humiliated by a lady" Thor answered and turned his attention to Emma "You have got amazing fighting skills, Emma. Where did you learn them from?"

"Well…" She started but Tony interrupted her

"From me, of course"

"Oh, so you mean to say you literally passed them all on to her and you were left with none?" Thor asked and everyone laugh, except Tony, of course

"Ha-ha…" He mocked grimacing and placing a hand on his back "Well, done, Em… I think you can stand up to anyone any given day without my assistance" He told her walking to where the others watched from

"Great, thanks Tony, I was waiting for your approval" Emma replied rolling her eyes as Thor walked up to her "So, Thor. What brings you down here?"

"Well, actually I went to the penthouse and found no one and I searched until I found you all in here" Thor told her and she nodded "So… would you like to try it with me?"

"Try what with you?" Emma asked completely oblivious to what he meant until she saw him wiggle his brows "Oh, you mean fighting? Mmm… sure, why not? It ought to be fun, right?"

"Erm… Emma? I would do it if I were you…" Tony warned

"Why not?" She asked warming up a little bit while Thor removed his cape and got in position

"Because I've fought with him before and… well, let's just say it didn't end nice for anyone… you can ask Rogers"

"C'mon, Tony; I beat the hell out of your pants… I'm sure I can handle this guy" She gave them a smug smile and turned to face Thor "Don't you dare having any considerations, Thor. I can hold up my own"

"I would not dare to think about it" Thor replied also smiling "Ready?" She nodded

And as soon as she did it Thor practically flew breaking the distance between then and very aggressively attempted to hit her; although a little taken aback by his speed and strength, Emma reacted on time and did repeated backwards somersaults just in time to dodge Thor's blows. She landed on one knee and ran towards him at full speed jumping up, taking impulse on his shoulders and landing right behind him, kicking him in the ribs, the right knee and punching him in the face.  
Thor was surprised by Emma's ability but continued fighting nonetheless.  
The others stood there in utter shock while the fight ensued before their eyes.

"How can she do that?" Tony asked in disbelief

"I have no idea… I had never seen her fighting like this… and we've seen her fight on numerous occasions" Clint replied

"Can you see it?" Natasha said

"What?" Tony questioned

"Their movements… they are incredibly…" Natasha started but Clint finished for her

"Similar…"

Thor spun around, grabbed her wrist, twisting it, slapping her on the cheek and then punching her in the stomach leaving her quite breathless. She bent down gasping for air for a moment but then she lifted her head with a confident smile on the lips; she wiped the little blood that come out of the cut on her lower lip from the slap.

"Emma, forgive me, I…" Thor started noticing the blood

What he didn't notice was that she was immediately charging against him and sending him flying across the room, crashing against the opposite wall and onto the floor. Of course, Thor wasn't even near to be unconscious or anything but he was shocked that a mere mortal and a woman had been able to defeat him during hand-to-hand combat. He continued to stare at Emma from the other side of the room. She was panting and although satisfied she was clearly amazed as well.

"Uhmm… guys? What did just happen?" Tony broke the silence

"I… I really don't know… I'm sorry, Thor… I didn't mean to…" Emma started approaching to the god of thunder

"Oh, no, please. It is all right. It had been a long time since I had this much fun during a fight" Thor commented with a smile once he had stood up "You are a worthy adversary, Emma Jansen. I would be proud to fight shoulder to shoulder with you in any battle against any enemy" He courtly said taking her hand and planting a kiss on it while he bowed

"Why… thank you…" Emma felt extremely flustered and blushed intensely as she attempted to make a curtsy in return. Suddenly, her pager went off "Excuse me"

She read the words 'Loki' on the screen and covered her eyes with her hand quite dramatically.

"Is something wrong, Em?" Natasha asked

"Mmm… maybe, I'm not sure… I've gotta go. I'll see you later, ok, guys?" She rushed to grab her things and ran to the door "Thanks for the fights, guys. I had a lot of fun. Let's do it again soon, ok?"

And with that, she was gone.

"She wants to get beat up again? Wow… there's something seriously wrong with that chick" Tony said

"Stark, where is Emma from?" Thor asked with a serious expression on his face

"Well… I think she's from here, from NY, right, guys?" Clint and Natasha nodded "Why do you ask?"

"I know what you're thinking, Thor" Clint suddenly said "It's very complicated"

"What is?" Tony asked

"We shouldn't tell, Clint" Natasha said behind gritted teeth

"What should you tell? What are you hiding about Emma?" Tony inquired and noticed how both Clint and Natasha looked up at the security cameras and he understood "Oh… ok, so you can't tell in front of the one-eyed monster? No, pun intended, of course" The two master assassins shook their heads "Do you know of a place where we could talk without being seen?"

"Not in here…" Clint replied

* * *

Meanwhile, at the monitoring room, Fury stood before the tenths of screens with Coulson standing next to him, their eyes fixed on a single screen: the training room.

"Did you see that, Coulson?" Fury asked without taking his eye off the screen

"Yes, sir" Coulson replied

"What has caused her to react like this? What is impulsing her to reach those levels of dexterity?" The director inquired and then turned to Coulson "Does she know? Has anybody told her?"

"No, sir. No one… Even Thor and Loki ignore it" Fury remained silent at this but Coulson spoke his mind "Perhaps her interaction with Loki has helped but… maybe… maybe the arrival of Fenrir had something to do with her… abilities awakening"

"What are you suggesting, Coulson?"

"According to Dr. Jansen's file and everything HYDRA got on her and everything we got on her… Fenrir was the determinant cause for her to… well… you know… come here"

"So you mean to say she is getting ready to encounter this… Fenrir?" Coulson nodded "Sounds plausible… ask Dr. Banner to get a blood sample from her and then have our experts to analyze it… we need to know if she is in fact changing…"

* * *

By the time Emma had left the training room it was almost 9pm. She ran out of the elevator to find Steve and Loki arguing about something inside her office. 'Couldn't they find another place to fight?' She thought bitterly

"Ok, ok, I'm here, what's going on?" She asked as she walked into the room

"What are you doing here?" Steve asked in return

"Uhmm… you… paged me?" He shook his head and then both of them turned to Loki "You paged me? How?"

"I did not 'page' you… I just… thought you would come if you got a message…" Loki replied innocently

"Are you for real?" Emma walked up to him outraged "I have a million things to do; I can't look after you; that's why I asked Steve…" Loki cut her off

"I do not need anyone to look after me" He defended "And I do not want to spend more time with this pathetic experiment" He hissed making Steve get on guard, ready to fight him

"Hey, hey, Steve, calm down…" Emma said getting between them and pushing Steve a little "Why don't you take a break from babysitting? I'll stay with him for a little while, ok?"

"I'm not leaving you alone with him" Steve told her without taking his furious eyes off Loki

"It's ok; he's not gonna hurt me… right, Loki?"

"I already told that to the captain"

"Emma…" Steve started finally looking down at her

"I know you don't trust him, Steve but I also know you can't stand him… I'll deal with him for a while… c'mon… get something to eat and get some rest" She said unconsciously placing her hand on his arm and caressing it ever-so-slightly only that Loki did notice

"Ok… but…"

"If I need you I'll call you" She reassured and led him to the door "I'll be fine" Steve gave Loki one last nasty look before leaving. Emma closed the door and turned around to face Loki as she leaned against the door, staring at Loki "You really have some solitude issues" She said shaking her head

"Why did you touch him like that?" Loki demanded to know, his voice full of spite

"I beg your pardon?" She asked confused

"You put your hand on his arm… it lingered there… do you have feelings for him?" He started to walked towards her in a very menacing cat-like manner

"What? I'm sorry but I fail to see how that's any of your business…" She tried to walk past him, to her desk but he grabbed her arm and slammed her against the door

"It is my business… I do not like him… and I do not like the idea of him with you" Loki was now mere inches away from her face looking down at her with hurt and anger "Answer my question… are you with him?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at him feeling her privacy being invaded and she decided to hurt him, even if it meant lying "What if I am?"

"Is that a yes?"

"You tell me… you are the all mighty god of mischief…"

"You better think before you speak, healer… especially around me" He warned

"Or what? You'll hurt me? Hit me? Kill me?" Her voice was soft yet commanding

"I would not dare to hurt you…" His grasp on her arms softened and so did his eyes "Not when you look so much like her…"

"Like who?" Emma asked

Loki released her arms and brought one hand up to her face as he noticed the cut on her lower lip "You are bleeding" He sounded genuinely concerned

"It's nothing…" She lowered her head and he cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him

"If only it was you…"

"Who are you talking about?"

Loki then did something Emma was not expecting; he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. For a moment she was shocked; then she gave in for the length of mere seconds but then she realized how wrong this was so she pushed him away and slapped him across the face.

"How dare you kiss me? Don't you dare kissing me again!" She shouted at him as he covered his red cheek with his hand

"So you are with him, are you not? You love the soldier" Loki assumed

"I never…"

"You love him… but you will not be able to love him if he is dead, will you?" He said and before Emma could say anything else, he disappeared before her very shocked eyes

"What have I done?" She asked in a whisper

* * *

***takes cover from readers* I know, I know... it was slightly shorter that usual but it just seemed right to leave you there :S**  
**Thank you so very very much for reading. I can't thank you enough and I know you guys must be sick and tired of me thanking you so much but I just can't help it... I wouldn't be writing this if it wasn't for all of you :D**

**So, I guess I will be seeing you very soon (tomorrow to be precise LOL) and keep the reviews coming!**  
**Love you all!**

**And... ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	11. 10 No Way, José!

***Hides behind Captain America's shield* Erm... hehe... yeah... I know... I... kind of... skipped posting yesterday...  
Whoopsie Daisies...  
I am so so so so sorry... I know, I'm a horrible, irresponsible, terrible person... do you think you could find it in your kind, loving hearts to forgive this puny human?**

**lovelyanimeangel, donnabella2k7, cocoatd, Leelee909, StepiLady, LauDuJardin, Sharpey-00, Silver Akuma Kitsune (Welcome!), Daughter Of Loki.001, AccioVoldemortsNose and catwoman 90808. Thank all of your for being such amazing readers and reviewers. I couldn't wish for kinder, more loyal people to read my story. You seriously make me the happiest writer on Earth :)  
gallowsCalibrator92, in case you are reading this (I hope you are) I believe you will like this chapter because here's where most of our doubts get cleared up.  
****I honestly hope all of you like where this is going and how we're getting there LOL.**

**The song of the day is: Titanium by David Guetta Ft. Sia.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**C****HAPTER TEN – NO WAY, JOSÉ!**

Right after Loki had disappeared Emma had rushed to her phone and called Coulson to let him know of the situation.

"We have a visual, Dr. Jansen; he's in the penthouse" Coulson told her and without letting him finish she hung up and ran to the elevator

As she ascended, she dialed Tony's number "Tony" She said as soon as she heard him answer

"I know, Em. He's right here" He replied

"Don't provoke him. He's meaning to attack Steve" She warned

"Mmm… he looks pissed off…"

"He is, please, Tony… just… stall him until I get there, ok?"

"What? No, don't come up here, it's not safe"

"When has that ever stopped me, Stark?" She responded hanging up

It took her less than a minute to get up there and just as the doors slid open Emma saw Clint flying across the living room and Tony following suit. She rushed to aid them and all they could do was look towards the other end of the room, where Loki stood and from where he had thrown them.

"Loki, please…" She started giving a few careful steps towards him "Just… calm down, ok?"

Loki was panting enraged as he turned to see Emma. His features softened immediately but in that moment Steve threw himself at him and they started a very high pitched fist fight.

"Stop it, now!" She shouted at them

"Loki, Rogers, you need to stop this madness right now!" Thor added

While Natasha helped Clint and Tony, Thor rushed to Loki and Steve and tried to separate them but it was futile so Emma approached to them and tried to push them away from each other, getting in between them.

"That's enough" She yelled extending her arms towards each of them but suddenly something of a bluish color came out of her palms

"What is that?" Tony asked

Without further notice the fog that had emanated from Emma's hands grew exponentially almost like bubbles, sending Steve and Loki flying to opposite sides and Emma backwards, towards the large window. With the impact, it broke and Emma ended up falling out of the window from the top floor of the tower.

"Emma!" They all shouted

"JARVIS, the suit!" Tony commanded

"There's no time. I'm going after her" Steve intervened

"With what?" Clint asked "You can't fly"

Before anyone could say anything Thor was jumping out the window after Emma wielding his hammer. Loki then disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Natasha asked

"He probably escaped" Clint told them

"C'mon, let's go and get Emma. JARVIS, tell Banner we need him at the northeast gate, in case Emma's hurt" Tony said and they all rushed downstairs

* * *

Thor flew down almost reaching Emma's hand "Come on, Emma, extend your hand!" As panicked as she was she heard him and did all she could to reach out for him "I almost have you… almost…"

As the pavement became clearer and clearer Emma thought she would die right then and there but them she closed her eyes, felt herself be enveloped with two arms and then the wind that blew by her ears stopped. She had actually stopped falling.

"Emma… Emma… open your eyes" Thor told her and she obeyed

Looking around she realized he had gotten her just in time to prevent her from crashing and there for, dying. He was holding her tightly and she held on to him for dear life.

"Thank you" She gasped hugging him "Thank you so much"

"You are very welcome" He replied with a smile

"Thor" Someone called behind them and as they turned they realized it was Loki

"Brother" Thor helped Emma get up

"Thank you, brother" Loki said walking up to them "Are you alright, Emma?"

"I am, thanks… what happened up there?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing" Thor said

"It was some type of force field you made…" Loki suggested but before he could continue a blast of some kind hit him throwing him away

"Loki!" Thor and Emma shouted and then turned to where the blast had come from

The attacker was masked by a thick red smoke and they immediately knew who it was. The creature laughed maliciously as he approached to them.

"Fenrir…" Thor said recognizing the beast

"I am very glad you remember me, Thor Odinson" Fenrir said baring his teeth and then looking at Emma "And you… I was really surprised to know you were in fact alive…"

"Look, I don't know who you are or who you are mistaking me with but you are the one responsible for the deaths of over a tenth of innocent people…" Emma responded

"Oh, so they died? Good…" Fenrir said "As for who I am mistaking you with… it is not a mistake… but do not worry… I killed you once; I am sure I can kill you again"

"You will have to kill me before putting a paw on her, Fenrir" Loki warned him suddenly joining them

"And Loki is here too! What a marvelous reunion this has turned out to be" Fenrir mocked and he saw how Thor and Loki tensed up protectively around Emma "But you do not know, do you?" Neither of them said anything and the beast laughed "You do not! Oh, this is a joyful day! You have been here in Midgard for what? Two days and you have yet to realize what is right before your noses"

"What are you talking about, Fenrir?" Loki demanded

"Do not listen to him, Loki. He is trying to distract our minds" Thor reassured and Loki gave him a not convinced sideways glance

"You have your suspicions about this… human you are protecting, I can see it and yet you are too blind to see the truth…" The wolf dared

"What is he talking about? Thor? Loki?" Emma asked completely confused "Tell me!"

"It is not her, Fenrir; leave her out of this" Loki said pulling Emma behind him

"Oh, but it is her… I felt the surge of power that came from this edification, that is why I came… to get rid of her once and for all" Fenrir turned his attention to Emma who kept staring at him with despise "And this time, I will not be doing it alone…" Suddenly, the three of them were surrounded by three dozens of smaller beast, also wolf-like "Meet my children" He said and then hissed "Destroy them"

The wolves obeyed their leader's command and launched themselves at Thor, Loki and Emma.

Loki pushed Emma out of the way, preventing any of the beasts to harm her but Emma, being her usual stubborn self, pulled out her gun and started charging against the wolves.

"Emma, go back inside!" Thor told her

"Are you kidding? I'm not leaving you alone" She said pulling the trigger over and over again

But then one of the beasts charged straight at her right when she ran out of bullets so it reached her and threw her to the ground. Loki saw this and threw the wolf one of his bladed disks, killing him instantly. He walked up to her and helped her up.

"You should listen when you are told to go inside" He chastised her

"Not a chance" She smiled at him, reloading her gun

"Having fun without us?" They heard Tony's voice over them and they realized the rest of the Avengers, accompanied by Adrianna had all suit up and joined them

"Emma, are you ok?" Steve asked already sporting his Captain America suit

"Yeah, I'm fine…" She gave him a reassuring smile

"What do we have here?" Clint inquired

"Fenrir's wolves" Thor answered as he continued to beat the hell out of the wolves with Mjolnir

"Let's get this party started people" Tony told them and they all charged against the tenths of beasts

Clint used several of his multifaceted arrows while Natasha mounted one of them and broke its neck from above, eliminating it.

Tony and Steve helped each other sending blows and using the repulsor ray to annihilate them.  
In that moment, Bruce came running out and saw the whole thing.

"Bruce! Hulk up!" Tony shouted at him and without needing to hear more the passive doctor turned into the now famous and enormous green beast "Smash, Hulk, smash!"

Without further encouragement, the Hulk did as he was told, clearly enjoying ripping some demonic wolves apart.

When there were only a few wolves left, Fenrir's anger became apparent and decided to take action himself.  
He ran towards Loki wanting to kill him before anyone else and seeing him distracted. But Emma saw this and after finishing off with one of the beasts ran as fast as she could to where Loki was.

Just as Fenrir jumped to tackle Loki, Emma stood between them; extended her hands forward and suddenly, the weak bluish fog that had emanated from her hands at the penthouse became a wave of power, creating a force field around her and Loki, throwing Fenrir forcefully away.

The team finished off with the beasts and turned around just in time to see this. Loki stood there froze in shock while Emma created a force field to save his life.

"It is you…" Loki whispered but then noticed that Emma's stance had started to weaken and realized that there was now blood coming down her nose "Emma, stop it!" He shouted at her, walking closer

"Emma! You're gonna kill yourself!" Tony yelled at her

Loki came up behind her and placed his hands over her arms tenderly and whispered into her ear "Eira, do not do this. I need you"

Emma turned her head slightly and saw Loki nod at her. With tears coming down her eyes she relaxed her arms and the force field immediately vanished as she fell backwards onto Loki's arms, unconscious.

"This is not over, Loki Odinson. Mark my words, Asgardians and Migardians… I will return and destroy you all!" Fenrir said before disappearing behind his curtain of red smoke

"Creepy dude" Tony commented

"Emma!" Steve called running to where Loki held Emma. He kneeled next to her and took her hand "What happened?"

"She created a force field to save my life" Loki said plainly

"But… how? She doesn't have any powers… she is not a super human, is she?" Bruce asked once he had returned to his human state

"Emma… Emma, can you hear us?" Natasha said

"Eira…" Loki murmured running the back of his hand along her cheek

"What did you call her?" Steve asked

"Eira…" Thor answered "Brother, is it possible?"

"It is her, Thor… I knew it from the first moment I saw her…"

"What are you talking about? Her name is Emma, not Eira!" Tony snapped at them

"Maybe we should discuss this later. Someone should take Emma to the infirmary" Bruce said wisely

Loki stood up, carrying Emma and without speaking another word, walked towards the building and into the infirmary, followed by the very shocked Avengers. As they entered a team of field agents were making their way out.

"Too late, guys. We've got it… clean it up, will you?" Tony told them and the ten agents stared at them quite dumbfounded

* * *

Natasha and Clint stayed behind making sure there wasn't another attack.

"Why have her abilities evolved this fast, Clint?" Natasha asked "It's all too sudden"

"I don't know… maybe… maybe… it has something to do with Thor and Loki" He suggested

"They knew her… you heard what Loki called her"

"Eira… that was the tentative deity that appeared on HYDRA's file…"Clint said

"Coulson once told me Fury was almost sure it was her. That it wasn't just one of HYDRA's failed attempts" She told him

"But they were never able to prove it… not even by killing her family" He said "I think that blocked her even more… you and I saw her when we raided the HYDRA facility… they broke her… her soul…"

"And yet she never turned like us… she has never killed anyone… I don't think I could have survived"

They glanced at each other before continuing with their duty.  
For a moment, Clint stopped and looked up. He then saw the figure of that very well know vigilante he had talked to earlier that day. Adrianna nodded at him before disappearing into the shadows of the night.

* * *

"Put her on that bed, Loki" Bruce, who had returned to his normal state, instructed as they reached the hospital ward

"What happened? What did you do to her?" Steve shouted at Loki pushing him away

"I have not done anything. I would not… not to her…" Loki snapped back

"Rogers…" Tony started trying to calm the captain down

"No! This all started when you came! She was alright before she met you!" Steve continued his rant against Loki

"Rogers, Loki has nothing to do with this… you do not understand" Thor intervened

"What should we understand?" Tony asked

"Silence!" Bruce yelled commandingly and the other 4 men went quiet "I'm gonna have to ask all of you to leave"

"I am not leaving her" Loki said hastily

"You are getting out of here" Steve threatened ready to ram Loki but Thor held him back

"Please, Rogers… be rational" The god of thunder said

"Ok, that's it. All of you, out, out, out, now!" Bruce shouted pushing them all out of the room

"Hey, what did I do?" Tony asked

"Out!" Bruce repeated slamming the door in front of them

As Thor let go of Steve, the captain took the opportunity and threw himself at Loki, pinning him against the corridor wall "What did you do to her? You've been brain washing her, haven't you? That's how you convinced her to be on your side! That's how you made her risk her life for you!"

"That's enough, Rogers" Suddenly Fury's voice came from behind them "Let go of Loki"

"But sir…" Steve started

"It's an order, captain" Fury demanded and after giving Loki a murderous look, Steve obeyed "Come with me"

"I am not leaving her side" Loki replied

"You will see Lieutenant Jansen later, Loki. For now you are coming with all of us. There is something we need to talk about and I need all of you to be there" Fury said, turning around and walking away

The 3 Avengers and Loki exchanged glances and then followed the director. Loki, being the last in line gave one last look through the glass of the door to check on Emma and then continued.

"It all started twenty six, almost twenty seven years ago…" Fury started once the four men were settled and calm. His hands clasped behind his and walking up and down the length of the table "We registered a strange disturbance in the electromagnetic field of the Earth. Very similar to the first time you came to Earth, Thor" The god of thunder nodded "We traced the disturbance to the northern part of the state of New York but after long research, no answer was given" He paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts "Twenty years later, while agent Coulson led a research on neo-criminal scientists who fluttered HYDRA's flag we discovered a facility; a bunker a few kilometers away from the Canadian border. We sent a team to raid it, Barton and Romanoff were among them and after neutralizing the enemy they found that the HYDRA officers had been keeping prisoner a woman, a young woman of only twenty years of age. They also found the bodies of two adults, a man and a woman and the body of a young man of twenty four. After extracting the sole survivor, HYDRA's files were also taken, hers among them. What we found shook our foundations to their core: HYDRA had been experimenting on this woman to prove that she was the reincarnation of a Teutonic goddess; the goddess of medical skill and protection; Eira"

"You are not talking about Emma, are you?" Tony asked and Fury didn't answer; he only stared at him with that penetrating eye of his "No way José"

"You will understand everything in a minute, Stark; you all will" Fury then continued "We brought this young woman whose name you all know: Emma Jansen" Coulson walked up to him and handed him Emma's file which he threw onto the table before the group "Emma Alexandra Jansen; born July 28th 1985 in Westchester, NY. At only two days of age she was abandoned at the gates of the local orphanage. A few weeks later, Alexandra and Henry Jansen adopted her and along with the couple's four year old son, Marcus had a normal, tranquil life.  
At the age of eighteen, after graduating from high school she is accepted at Harvard for her pre-med course. Two years later and out of the blue she is abducted along with her family. That is where these 2 stories become one"

"But how does that make Emma this… Eira chick?" Tony questioned

"I was hoping our godly guests would be able to answer that" Fury said turning his attention to Thor and Loki. Steve and Tony imitated him

Loki shook his head at Thor and the latter understood "Many centuries ago; almost thirty five Midgardian years ago a battle between Aesirs and Vanirs against a demonic beast known as Fenrir and his hordes of demonic wolves fell upon Vanaheim. Fenrir, who intended to conquer Vanaheim, the home of the Vanir, threatened the peace of the real and as retribution, Eira, the daughter of Freyja and Óðr, the rulers of Vanaheim came to Asgard pleading Odin for help to defend their realm. Odin responded by sending Loki, myself, the Warriors Three, the Lady Sif and an army to Vanaheim where we fought a glorious battle against the beast" Thor looked around for a second before proceeding "The battle resulted in victory with Fenrir's escape and the goddess Eira remained a good friend of us all; so much that she would spend entire seasons in Asgard. Some years later, Fenrir, in retribution attacked both Vanaheim and Asgard, this time with a bigger army; an army so numerous it almost cost us the victory"

"How did you win?" Steve asked

"With sacrifice" Loki answered for his brother "Eira sacrificed herself so we would have the chance to defeat Fenrir and his army"

"What did she do?" Tony inquired

"She created a force field strong enough to contain our army but it… she, failed to protect herself. Fenrir attacked her to destroy the force field and she died" Loki explained

"Or so we thought" Thor added gaining surprised looks from Steve and Tony "Three days ago, when Fenrir escaped his prison and came here, my father told me a truth so great it changed my whole perspective: Eira had not died on the battlefield. Odin healed her and sent her away to one of the distant realms so that she would be safe in case Fenrir escaped and attacked again. She was reborn as a mortal baby and raised as a Midgardian human"

"Are you trying to tell us that Emma is the reincarnation of your goddess Eira?" Tony interrogated in disbelief and Thor nodded

"Is that why she has those abilities?" Steve suddenly asked

"Yes, we always suspected it, especially after the battle against you, Loki; when you attacked one of our men, agent Coulson, she was the doctor who looked after him. We know for a fact no one could have survived a stab such as that without some… extra help" Fury told them eyeing Coulson who stood a few feet away listening carefully

"Eira had the power of healing" Thor added

"Dr. Jansen passed out this morning while healing one of the victims and no one really understood why…" Coulson suddenly intervened "But it all made sense after seeing how the girl she had attended right before fainting and the other patients she worked on later showed impressive improvement in their health"

"Had she ever displayed any sign of having powers? Not even when her parents died?" Tony asked

"No. That was what HYDRA was trying to achieve while experimenting on her until she gave them no other choice but to push her to the edge and that's when they killed her family in front of her eyes" Coulson narrated "But it didn't work"

"And this… Eira… does this mean she's like… awakening or something?" Tony continued

"That is exactly what it means, Stark. Thor's and Loki's presence has triggered her true identity" Fury answered

"Her true soul" Loki said softly staring down at the table

"Did Eira look like Emma?" Steve asked

"A lot… when we first met Emma we both agreed it was like seeing her again but Odin forbade us to look for her… we did not really know we would find her in the first woman we'd meet" Thor told them

The room was covered by a sepulchral silence until Tony broke it "So… now what? Do we tell her? Do we not tell her? Wait…" His brows raised "Is that why she's such a god damn good fighter?"

"She was always a natural. She already knew how to fight when we met her but we both helped her improve her skills… that is why I wanted to fight with her earlier today… I knew I had seen those moves before…" Thor said with a small smile

"As an answer to your question, Stark: yes, we will tell her. She needs to know now that she has showcased her abilities to the world and she needs to learn how to control them without weakening her mortal body if she wants to defeat Fenrir and whoever he's partnering with" Fury stated "We are going to need the help of all of you…" He turned to Loki "And that includes you, Loki" The god of mischief looked up and nodded "Good. Well, now that that's clear… you can go and see Jansen"

The four men stood up and marched out of the meeting room in absolute silence. Once they were gone, Coulson approached to Fury.

"HYDRA was right, then" Phil said

"And so were we. The day she arrived to Earth I knew someone had crossed that barrier… and it turned out to be her…" The director replied

"What do you think really triggered her powers? Fenrir's arrival or Thor's and Loki's?"

"I think it was Loki's. There is something between those two and I'm sure there was back in Asgard. Remember she first used her powers to heal you, Coulson and that was when Loki was here" Coulson nodded "When she awakes, make sure she starts training to control her powers, especially with Thor and Loki"

"Yes, sir"

"Meanwhile… there is a certain elemental super-human that must be dealt with"

* * *

"Adrianna, open up!" Clint demanded after knocking for a long time without receiving any answer "I know you're in there! Open up! Don't make me take the door down" He shouted banging and pounding the door

"It's open, Clint" Suddenly he heard her voice and as he turned the knob and opened it he felt incredibly silly for not trying that "Sometimes the most obvious thing is the most difficult to see, isn't it?" She said from her seated position at the couch, half empty glass of an amber colored liquid in her hand "How is your friend?"

"She's ok, I guess…" He said approaching to her, closing the door

"You guess? That's a little vague, don't you think?"

"Look who's talking about vague…"

"What do you want, agent Barton?" Adrianna asked

"What were you doing back there?"

"I followed the beast all day long"

"You could've warned us it was going to the tower!" He shouted

"I didn't know! Its movements are incredibly conspicuous… by the time I caught up with it, it was too late"

"What else do you know about Fenrir?" Clint interrogated

"So that's its name, huh? Not a pretty one, I must say" Adrianna half joked taking another sip of her drink "Why are you really here, agent Barton? She finally stood up to face him

"I want to help you"

Adrianna scoffed at this with bitterness "I am beyond help, Clint…"

Before either of them could say anything else, the door flung open and a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents barged it.

"Adrianna Moore" One of them said behind a black polymer mask "You are under arrest"

"Wait, wait… under what charges?" Clint asked clearly upset

"Obstruction of justice. You'll have to come with us" The officer said and instructed two of his men to take Adrianna into custody and to cuff her hands; she didn't fight it

But Clint was not about to have any of that. He pulled one of the agents and threw him away and then punching the other one straight in the jaw.

"Agent Barton, please, control yourself" The leader of the agents said as three of the other officers tried to subdue him

"Why are you doing this? She is a hero!" Clint shouted while the agents held him back

"Haven't you heard, agent Barton?" Adrianna said as she was being escorted out of her apartment "There is no such thing as heroes: Not anymore"

And with that, she was taken away like any traitor would be taken away.

"You can't do this" Clint sneered at the leader

"We can, agent Barton. It was director Fury's call. If you disagree, please, feel free to talk to him" It was almost as if he was mocking Clint

"You can bet I will"

* * *

"When is she waking up?" Tony asked Bruce who, after almost 2 hours, continued to check on Emma's vitals

When Fury had dismissed them, Thor, Steve, Tony and Loki had gone back down to the infirmary and the man of iron made sure Bruce heard the whole story. "So that's why Coulson asked me to get a blood sample from her…" Bruce had deduced

Now, while Thor and Steve talked in one of the corners and Loki sat next to Emma's bed, holding her hand, Tony questioned Bruce about her state.

"I don't know, Tony. She's better… but she wasn't really… grave from the beginning…" Bruce explained

"What do you mean?"

"Her vitals have been normal from the beginning; it is as if her body was already used to this sort of…"

"Abnormalities" Bruce nodded and then Tony continued "Then why did she faint? Why did she start bleeding?"

"I'm not sure but my guess is that, from what you told me, if she is in fact a goddess then she's just a little rusty… it's all lack of practice… but nothing graver"

"That's a wild guess, Jolly Green Giant" Tony said and received a scoff from Bruce

Meanwhile, Thor tried his best to convince Steve that Loki meant no harm to Emma.

"She's like this because of him" Steve responded to Thor's arguments

"Then she is like this because of me as well" The god of thunder said "Rogers… you do not know… you fail to comprehend what happened between them…"

"Then explain"

"It is not my story to tell, Steve…" Thor looked over at where Loki holding on to Emma's hand "But know this: Loki would die before letting anything happen to Emma"

"No, he would die before letting anything happen to Eira…"

"They are the same person, Rogers! Fury said so himself!"

"Were Loki… and Eira in love?" Steve asked turning his attention to Emma and Loki

Thor followed his gaze and answered "Yes"

* * *

**SWEET MOTHER OF LOKI! (who in the comics is Frigga and in real Norse mythology is the frost giantess Laufey... oh, yes... Laufey was originally a woman and the Marvel people kindly turned her into a man... wouldn't like to be in her shoes... :|).**

**Anywhoooooo... we had a lot of action and revelations in this one! Aren't you happy, my dears? And way much more confused than before? *giggles happily***  
**I hope you liked the way this chapter was told and of course that you noticed the "extended" length of it... one of my longest so far YAY!**

**Thanks once again to all of you readers, reviewers, lurkers and so on and so on.**  
**Love you all very very much!**

**ASSEMBLE! ;)**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**

**PS. I'm going to the movies tomorrow to watch the movie for my fifth and final time (and in 3D, mind you) so I might be posting a little later than usual but post I shall, no matter the hour!**


	12. 11 Code What?

**Gooooooooooooooood evening everybody!  
I just came back home from the movies and guess what I watched? *ding ding ding ding ding* Yep, that's right... The Avengers... for the fifth freakin' time... seriously, I could do a one-woman show with the dialogues... But my sister and I decided we wanted the last time to be extra special so we went to this very fancy (*ahem* expensive) movie theater (it is actually called VIP LOL) where the seats are recliners and you have waiters and little table lamps and if you want something you just press a button and the waiter comes... it was really cool... and if it hadn't been for my sister's recent surgery, I would've had a Martini to accompany my movie with, but hey... we got fruit smoothies and that was good enough for me ;)  
Anywhooooooooooo... **

**coolsweetness55, StepiLady, donnabella2k7, lovelyanimeangel, Sharpey-00, ElleOL (Welcome to our little party!), AccioVoldemortsNose, PeterFlan, emmiuscaa (Patience... PATIENCE! Oh, and welcome! LOL). Thanks to all of you... YOU ARE AWESOME! MWAH!**

**The song of the day... I'd say: Love Love by Take That (which happens to be Marvel's X-Men: First Class' soundtrack but it doesn't mean I'm making a crossover here, ok?)**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER ELEVEN – CODE… WHAT?**

"What happened, Fenrir?" The silver cloaked man asked

It had been almost 4 hours since the wolves attack on S.H.I.E.L.D and only when they knew it was safe to meet, they did.

"Forgive me, Overmaster" Fenrir replied "I did not expect Thor's friends to show themselves…"

"It was a miscalculated attack"

"Yes, sir… and then… that human woman, the one who holds Eira's soul within her… she used the Vanir's powers against me…"

"So it was impossible for you to reach Loki or the Tesseract" The Overmaster deduced

"No, my lord"

The Overmaster practically move through time and space and was before Fenrir's snout in a split second, watching the beast menacingly.

"I do not believe I released you from your prison in Asgard and gave you all this power so you could fail at me, Fenrir…" The beast took one step back "I do not enjoy it when I give help and I turned out disappointed in the end… I do not like traitors, rabid dog!" The Overmaster shouted and then reached out and patted Fenrir in the crown of his head "I have a slow and painful revenge reserved for Loki because of this very reason but I cannot do it if you do not deliver what you promised in return for my help…"

"What should I do next, Overmaster?" Fenrir asked trying to concealed his fear

"We wait, my pup… we wait until the Avengers think they are safe… until their guards are down… that is when we take on them… and destroy everything they love!"

* * *

After almost five hours of watching over Emma, Bruce had decided to send Thor, Tony, Steve and Loki to rest a little but Loki didn't listen. While the others, quite reluctantly left the infirmary, Bruce gave them, especially Steve a reassuring look, letting them know that he'd stay also.

"I am sorry" Bruce suddenly told Loki who looked up at him confused "I wish there was something I could do to help her more… to make her wake up"

"She is a stubborn creature" Loki replied looking back down at Emma "She has always been… she will wake up when she decides to wake up"

"That's Emma, alright" Bruce commented

"When I… came here and…" Loki started hesitantly

"And attacked?" Bruce completed and Loki nodded

"Was she here? Was she in danger?"

"She was here… in fact, she was at the Helicarrier when you escaped…"

"Did she fight?"

"No. Fury wouldn't let her… I met her back then; she wanted to but…" Bruce shrugged, his voice trailing off

"In my blinded rage against your kind I almost kill whom I love most" Loki told Bruce without taking his eyes off Emma

"You can change that. It is not too late to make amends" Bruce told him, gaining his attention "If you really love her, protect her and protect what she loves most"

Bruce then spun on his heels and started to walk away "Where are you going?"

"I think you guys need some privacy… I'll be just outside"

"Banner" Loki called "Thank you" Bruce nodded at him and exited the room

As Loki continued to hold Emma's hand he started stroking its back in circular motions.  
He couldn't believe she was alive. He couldn't believe she was there with him after so many years of mourning her and feeling empty. He couldn't believe…

"Forgive me…" He whispered leaning his forehead on her hand

"Loki…" He heard her speak softly. Lifting his head he saw her fluttering her eyes open and giving him the weakest of smiles "Are you… alright?"

Loki couldn't help to chuckle. Even like this she worried about him "I am… thanks to you"

"What happened?"

"Do you not remember?"

"I… yes… I remember… I remember Fenrir attacking you and… something coming out of my hands and…"

"You saved my life, Emma"

"I'm glad I did" She smiled at him "Where are the others?"

"Resting"

"Won't you rest?"

"Not until I know you are better" Loki replied and felt her tighten her grip on his hand

"I am better. You must rest"

"I am not leaving you…"

"Then don't leave me"

Emma then let go of his hand; scooted to one side of the bed and motioned him to join her. After thinking about it for a second he did so. He lay next to her, passed an arm around her shoulders and while she leaned her head on his chest he heard her sigh.

"What?" He asked

"Now I am better" Emma whispered, closing her eyes

It had been an incredibly long time since Loki had felt something other than hate, jealousy, sadness and emptiness. It had been an incredibly long time since Loki had felt something good. Not since she had left his side. And now she was with him again and then a sudden wave of a long forgotten feeling surrounded him: peace.

* * *

"Why did you do it?" Clint burst into the monitoring room not minding who would listen to him "Why did you issue an order for her arrest?"

"You were there, Barton. You heard the charges" Fury said unphased

"Obstruction of justice my ass, Fury! You know very well that Adrianna has done nothing but protect this city"

"We needed to bring her in, Barton. She is a rogue vigilante; we cannot allow her to…"

"To what? To use her powers somewhere other than here? For someone other than you?" Clint accused

"We cannot allow her to waste her powers, Barton. I never wanted her to leave S.H.I.E.L.D."

"And now you're forcing her back or what?"

"You could say so"

"Fury, this is not the way things work… you can't just…"

"Oh, but I can, Barton. Adrianna Moore is one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s greatest assets and I am not about to lose this asset because of her stubbornness, do you understand?"

"Why now? Why not seven years ago when she left?"

"Because she had to find her way back on her own… now she needs only but a push"

"I will not allow it… not like this" Clint defied

"Oh, but you will, Barton and you wanna know why? Because she is your greatest weakness just as you are hers. You want her back, so do I. Help me convince her to stay…"

Clint gave Fury an irritated glare and looked away "What are you asking me to do?"

"I'm asking you to bring one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agents back home"

* * *

"_Wake up, child. Wake up, Eira" An ethereal voice commanded and Emma closed her eyes tighter feeling a surge of light hitting her directly in the face_

"_That is not my name" She replied stubbornly slowly opening her lids_

"_It is your name; the name of the soul residing within you" The voice, which grew clearer and clearer answered _

"_Who are you?" Emma asked now shielding her fully open eyes, trying to get a look at the man standing before her_

_Then the light dimmed down revealing the figure standing before Emma.  
He was dressed in a magnificent gold and silver armor with a gold metal patch over his right eye and a golden spear in his left hand. It was Odin._

"_You are Thor's and Loki's father…" She deduced and said in awe "You are Odin"_

"_Do you remember me?" He asked her softly walking down the few golden steps that led to his magnificent throne "Do you remember the life you had before going to Midgard?" Emma shook her head "Do you remember your friendship with Thor? And with Loki?" The mention of Odin's adopted son somewhat managed to lit a spark in Emma's memories and Odin noticed it "Do you remember how you felt about him?"_

"_Not really… but I am very aware of how I feel about him right now" She said_

"_You must hold on to that feeling, Eira Óðrdaughter. You must trust Thor and Loki. They will show you how to use your past abilities so you can face the threat that approaches" Odin said_

"_What threat? Fenrir?"_

"_No… a greater threat; a greater peril inflamed with the power of revenge, hate and death" He told her and she nodded "The Tesseract. Protect the Tesseract at all costs, my child… if the Overmaster gets to it, it will be the end of all life as we know it"_

"_What must I do?"_

"_Trust. Trust in your friends; in your family; in yourself" Emma nodded once more "It is time for you to go, Emma"_

"_Go where?"_

"_Home" Odin stated_

"_Will I see you again?" She asked_

"_If it is written in the stars, it will come to pass"_

"_Thank you" Odin nodded_

"_Until next time, my child"_

Emma opened her eyes slightly startled and not really knowing where she was… what was real and what was not. She didn't really move much and when she looked up she saw that Loki had his eyes closed.  
For a moment she just stared at him, his breathing steady and his features completely tranquil. Then she remembered what Odin had told her; what he had asked her… about her feelings towards Loki.

Instinctively she reached her hand out and touched his face with the tips of her fingers.

"Your skin is warm" He suddenly said scaring her and making her jump "Forgive me, I frightened you" His eyes opened

"No, no… I just… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to invade your personal space" She apologized bringing her hand down and feeling the blood rushing to her cheeks

But he gave her a small smile and then took her hand, placing the palm against his own cheek "Like I said: your skin is warm"

Emma giggled a little "I suppose it is, especially against yours… it's so… cold" As she saw Loki losing his smile she regretted saying that "I'm… I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean to…"

"I should have known…" Loki said turning his face away "A Jöttun will never be worthy of a Vanir"

Sitting up she stretched her arm and placed her hand back on his face, making him turn to her. When he looked at her he saw that she had a kind smile on her face "Don't say that, Loki…" Emma said softly "I like it… I mean, your skin… I… I like it" Now she felt enormously silly but something in her heart felt like breaking whenever she saw Loki sad

"Why?" Loki suddenly asked looking deep into her eyes

"Why what?"

"Why do you like it?"

"Well… I don't know… it feels… nice? Oh, gosh, why are you asking me that?" Emma covered her face with her hands in embarrassment

"Do not do that" He told her taking her hands and pulling them down

"What?"

"Cover your face… do not do it. Don't deprive me of it, not again"

"Loki…" She whispered looking down

"I love you" He suddenly blurted out taking her by surprise

"What?" She snapped her head up and looked at him in shock

"I love you… I never stopped loving you"

"Are you talking about Eira?" She asked confused "Are you telling me you love Eira?"

"Well, yes" Emma stared at him, her brow furrowed and then rolled her eyes

"Unbelievable…" She mumbled, swinging her legs off the bed and standing up "Just… unbelievable…"

"What? What did I do?" Loki asked standing up as well

"Look, buddy, if you can't see it then I can't help you" Emma replied feeling stronger and all because of the irritation

In her anger, she pulled the catheters and her pulse marker from her arms and the flat line alarm set off causing Bruce and Tony who had apparently arrived a while earlier to rush in alarmed.

"Code blue! Code blue! Code… what?" Bruce entered shouting "What's going on?" He asked seeing Emma standing up and getting ready to leave the infirmary

"Em, what are you doing?" Tony questioned

"I am getting out of here. I want to go home so… if you don't mind, Bruce, I'm checking out… myself" She replied with a whole lot of attitude

"Wait, wait, Emma… are you feeling ok? Are you well enough to…?" Bruce started

"I'm well enough, thank you. Now if you excuse me…"

Without saying another word and only giving Loki a hurt glare, she practically stomped out of the room.

"That was… weird…" Bruce commented

"Or was it?" Tony asked suspiciously turning to Loki "What did you tell her, lover boy?" Loki remained quiet "Are you having performance issues again?"

The very upset god of mischief almost killed Tony with a single look before storming out of the room.  
Tony looked at Bruce and saw him shake his head at him.

"What did I say?" Tony asked innocently

* * *

Adrianna paced up and down her cell at the lower levels of the tower. She couldn't believe the nerve of Fury to issue an order for her arrest; well, thinking about it, she could believe it.

She was usually unphased by most S.H.I.E.L.D. related things, even this new charade Fury was trying to put on what she couldn't really understand is why Fury wanted her back on the line with them if she was, supposedly a criminal… how was he pretending to go over that insignificant little detail.

She was also surprised by the next visitor she received:

"Hello, Adrianna" Her old friend greeted

"Natasha" Adrianna said without even turning round "Did Fury send you to interrogate me? Because Clint already did that job; I already told him everything I know about this… Fenrir"

"That is not why I'm here" The Russian agent said

"Then perhaps to convince me to rejoin the lines?"

"No. Fury doesn't even know I'm here" This made Adrianna turn

"Then what do you want?" She asked harshly

"We were friends once, Adrianna…"

"Yes, we were…"

"I know you are not guilty of this stupid charges Fury's making up" Natasha continued

"Then what does he want? I resigned; I have no obligation to S.H.I.E.L.D. and even less to Nick Fury"

"He wants to force you back"

"Why? Because of my powers?" Adrianna asked and Natasha just stared back "Wow, and I thought I had problems…" She exhaled "So what now?"

"Whatever you want to do, Adrianna… just remember… that neither your heart nor your life are the only ones that will change with the choice you make" Natasha said and after giving her old friend a sympathetic look she walked away

"Clint…" She whispered sitting down on the cot

"Nan, are you alright?" She heard his voice and looked up to find him looking at her truly concerned "C'mon, let's get you out of here" He typed some codes and the cell was immediately opened. He rushed in but she retreated away from him "Adrianna, please…"

"So the chosen one wasn't Natasha but you… Fury sent you to get me out so that, in return, I would agree to join the lines, huh?"

"No, Nan, this is not what you think…"

"Stop calling me that! I am not Nan! Not anymore!"

"Adrianna…"

"Get out! Get out and don't forget to lock because I am not giving in" She shouted at him as she pushed him out and closing the door, which locked automatically "Go away. I want to be alone"

Clint couldn't think of anything more to say and left with his head, morale and heart even lower than the lowest lever of the tower.

* * *

"You are so stupid, Emma… seriously stupid… to fall for the worst of the gods…" She scowled herself shutting the door of her office close but then burst out laughing just as the door reopened

"Emma?" Steve asked walking in but doubting because of the laughter fit "Bruce said you had left the infirmary…"

"Yes… I… did…" She managed to say in between laughs "Give… me… a… second, ok?" She continued

"Sure…" Steve closed the door and felt incredibly awkward at the sight in front of him "Emma? Are you ok? Do you want me to call Bruce or to take you back to the infirmary?"

Finally, Emma was able to put herself together and shook her head "No, Steve, but thanks… what's up?"

"I wanted to check on you… I went to see you and you were gone… I didn't even see Loki there"

"Don't… mention that… argh…" Again, she exhaled "Sorry… it's very sweet of you, Steve…"

"Not a problem…" They remained silent for a moment "So… about what happened…"

"I'm sure it's a very long debriefing, Steve and right now I'm not in the mood…" Emma said pressing the bridge of her nose with her index and thumb "Thanks, Steve… for everything…"

"Don't… mention it… Emma… about Loki…"

"I told you not to… forget it… what about him?"

"I was wondering… how… how you… how you felt…"

Before Steve could continue, Tony barged in with a huge grin splattered on his face.

"Hey, there, turtle doves! I've got the invitations!" He exclaimed waving a bunch of golden envelopes in his hand

"Invitations?" Steve asked

"Invitations… to the gala? My gala! Well… Pepper planned the whole thing, I just go and have fun while pretending to like all the people she invites and who I don't know" Tony rambled

"I thought you were going to call it off because of… well… the present situation?" Emma said

"Yeah, I thought about it but… I wanna have fun! And I want all of you to have fun as well… we need a little winding out, besides… it's for a good cause"

"And what cause is that?" Emma questioned

"The Sacred… something… something… something good; I don't know, Em. Don't ask me that kind of questions… Pepper is the one who knows the details… now… here you go…" He handed Emma hers and Steve his "It's in two weeks so make sure to get yourselves some pretty outfits… although you always look gorgeous, my dear Emmy so… yeah, that's it…"

Tony started to leave but Emma stopped him "Oh, Tony…"

"Yes?" She approached to him and slapped him on the back of the head "Ouch! What was that for?"

"I believe I've told you a thousand times not to call me Emmy… under risk of death"

"Ah… yes… sorry… I… forgot… Emmy" And then he ran off

"I'll get you for it, Stark!" Emma shouted at him "Dork… anyways… yeah… a gala… big thing"

"I guess… never been to one" Steve said

"You're gonna have fun… if you consider Tony's version of fun as fun…" In that moment, her pager went off "Oh, shoot… sorry, Steve… Bruce needs me. I'll see you later, ok?"

She patted him in the arm and rushed out leaving him quite thoughtful and saying what he meant to tell her:

"I was wondering if you would like to go to the gala with me…"

* * *

**Uuuu... we have a partey coming! LOL**  
**It's amazing how, no matter if they are mortals or immortals, men are all the same! *lmao***  
**Just when everything seems to be starting to get better... here I go and screw it all up, right? Well, actually, it was Loki who screwed it up but... *shrugs***

**Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaatever... thanks yet again and keep the reviews happy. One review means one neuron smiling :)**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxoxo**


	13. 12 What About Dental?

**Good evening everyone :)  
I'm not going to ramble on a lot tonight because I had a horrible afternoon and to be honest, I don't feel like talking much, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna give my personal thanks:**

**LauDuJardin, StepiLady, ElleOL, Grinning-Loki-Locked, Adelene Abnormal (you're new around here, right? welcome!), AccioVoldemortsNose, MrsMellark245 (welcome to you too!), donnabella2k7, KiyUzumaki (another welcome LOL), Sharpey-00, catwoman90808 and Lexi Blaze (thank you so much for your kind words and welcome). You are the best readers anyone could ever dream of :)**

**Today's song is... Love by Foster The People.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWELVE – WHAT ABOUT DENTAL?**

Loki stood leaning against the banister that surrounded the rooftop of the tower. This people had given him every chance to escape and yet he had decided not to take any.

The City that never sleeps seemed incredibly quiet to Loki. It must've been the hour. The sun hadn't even started to come up yet so he thought it was normal.

No. Nothing was normal. He was back in this hideous planet along with Thor and having to see this obnoxious and pathetic people every day.  
He hated it. He hated everything around him; except…

Emma; this mortal woman who had his beloved Eira's soul within her being; without Emma's existence, Eira would not be alive.  
And without Emma, he would not be alive.

She looked like Eira, she moved like Eira, she fought like Eira; her touch was like Eira's; her mind was like Eira's. She was Eira; and yet… and yet Emma was… Emma.

Loki thought about her fierceness; her outspoken manner; the way she would not let those around her perish. Somehow this mortal human had managed to make herself necessary for him. Somehow this insignificant Midgardian had won a place in his frozen and broken heart.

Apart from Thor, she was the only one in this God forsaken place who honestly seemed to care about him. It was obvious she trusted him and even he had to admit that he was the last person anyone should ever trust in.

He knew he loved Eira; he had never stopped loving her. Her death had been one of the things that triggered his fall into the bottomless abyss of madness he had practically created for himself. Everything he had done had been the result of the loneliness and emptiness he had felt after her demise.  
But this woman… this Emma… she had singlehandedly messing up with both his mind and his heart. With her he felt at peace and, strangely, loved.

Not Eira but Emma.

"Emma…" Loki whispered as a soft breeze surrounded him

"Thinking about someone, are we not, brother?" He heard Thor behind him

"Mind your own business, Thor" Loki hissed

"Solitude can be the worst adviser" The son of Odin told him

"And how could you know about solitude? You have never been alone, Odinson"

Thor grimaced knowing Loki was right but he was determined not to leave him "Loki…" He walked up to his side "Brother… what troubles you? I would have thought that finding Eira would make you the happiest man in Yggdrasil"

"Would… do you believe that… if I loved another one I would be betraying Eira?" Loki suddenly asked

"You are talking about Emma, are you not?" Loki didn't answer and Thor smiled "You are aware they are practically the same person"

"That is the problem. They are not. Yes, I love Eira, I will always love her but… this human… she…" Loki looked down at his hand. He held the ring Emma had found "She has made me love her for who she is…"

"That is wonderful, brother!" Thor congratulated but noticed that Loki didn't smile "What is the matter, Loki?"

"I believe I have made her think I only want to be close to her because of Eira"

"That is… bad"

Loki rolled his eyes annoyed "But she is right. I have made her feel like I have to love her and she has to love me because of who she was… when I loved her before any of us even knew. She is the only one who has shown any sort of kindness towards me; Emma, Thor, not Eira. She is the way she is because she is Emma and I love her because of that"

"You love Emma"

"I do"

"Then prove it. Make yourself worthy of her"

"It is too late… no matter what I say or what I do, now that everyone knows she holds Eira's soul she will never believe me"

Before Thor could say anything, Loki disappeared in front of his eyes "It is not too late, brother"

* * *

"Took you long enough to show yourself down here" Adrianna said as Fury made his way to her cell "You better let me out, Fury"

"Or what? You'll kill us all, agent Moore?" Fury replied but she said nothing "I thought so" He half smiled and started walking the length of the bars, his hands clasped behind his back "Why do you think you were brought here?"

"Redecorate?" Adrianna asked with irony

"Very funny, Moore. You have been interfering with an ongoing investigation on the beast we know as Fenrir"

"Funny you decided to use the word 'funny' when I fail to find the funny in it"

"Our cameras caught you last night doing nothing to help the Avengers"

"I have no obligation towards them" She said crossing her arms

"Not even agent Barton?"

"Are you seriously going to use that card? Ok, go ahead, be my guest…"

"You don't care about him anymore? About agent Romanoff? You used to be friends" Fury suggested

"You said it right: we USED to be friends. That all ended when you destroyed my career in S.H.I.E.L.D."

"It was a tough call, Moore but I still stand by it" Fury said finally stopping "You were young… you had still so much to learn, Adrianna… but I think now you understand how important sacrifice is in our field of expertise"

"Perhaps you are right, Fury but I will never condone the actions we took"

"Would that stop you from returning to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"You know my answer to that"

"Not even if it meant clearing your name? Not even if it meant making some of the past wrongs right?" He proposed

"Speak clear, Fury"

"It is not your power I'm only after, Moore"

"Go on"

"You have contacts and incredible investigating skills. You and Romanoff are the best infiltrators this agency has ever has…"

"So…"

"I want you back" Fury finally said

"No" She dryly responded without hesitation

Fury exhaled and made circles with his fingers on his temples "Don't make me make you"

"That's scary"

"Moore; you need this, nay, you want it. I've even spoken to the Council"

"What do they have to do with anything?" Adrianna asked outraged "They don't know what we have to do to get the job done and yet their hands are covered with the same blood as ours"

"Adrianna, I'm asking you… I'm asking you to return"

"What do you offer?"

"We've got a pretty decent medical insurance" Fury pointed out in a manner of jest

"What about dental?" She asked playing along

"You're putting me in a very difficult situation, Moore"

"I won't accept without dental"

"Fine, you can have dental"

"And I want my record to be as clean as… Coulson's shirt"

"Don't push it, Moore"

"Ok, no dental but destroy my record" She insisted and she saw him think about it "Fine; no record, no deal"

"Fine, fine… you record will be a clean slate in less than 10 minutes. Can we count on you?"

"Sure… but under my terms… I work better alone"

"You are to join the Avengers, Ltn. Jansen and the hostile Loki Laufeyson for this case. That is nonnegotiable" Fury pressed his finger on this

"Alright… yay, team work" Adrianna practically mocked

"Then you are free, agent Moore" Fury concluded emphasizing the title

* * *

"What's up, Bruce?" Emma asked and immediately felt something going through the skin of her arm "Ouch! What was that for?" She exclaimed rubbing the spot

Bruce, who had been the one to inject her, approached to her with stethoscope in hand "Breathe deep, please"

"Why? What are you doing?"

"Running the medical tests you needed to get done right after you woke up" He explained "Inhale…"

"But…"

"Inhale…" She obliged irritated and he continued "Exhale… again…"

"I'm fine, Bruce" Emma told him "By the way, what did you inject me with?"

"Saline solution"

"What? Why? That doesn't do anything"

"No but it is in retribution for not listening when I told you to stay"

"You are a doll, Bruce, honestly…" Emma couldn't help to smile at her colleague's cheekiness "I'm fine, I promise"

"I have no doubt… but I also wanted to tell you: Fury wants to talk to you about what happened…"

"This is going to hurt…"

"Probably, yeah…"

"Thanks…"

Noticing the sympathetic look Bruce was giving her, Emma built up the courage and went upstairs to talk to the boss.  
Once there, Emma realized that the room was completely empty with the exception of Fury.  
He sat at the table with a file in his hands.

"Come on in, lieutenant" He told her and she obeyed "Thank you for coming"

"Uhmm… sure… Dr. Banner said you wanted to talk to me about…" She started

"Take a seat, Emma" He interrupted her and she nodded, again, obeying "How are you feeling?"

"I'm… fine, thanks…"

"I was told you were unconscious for approximately five hours" She nodded "Do you remember what happened?" She nodded again "Do you recall hearing the name Eira?"

"Yes. Loki called me like that when I… did that thing I did…"

"It is called a force field or deflector shield, according to Mr. Stark. Do you recall ever doing it before last night?"

"No, not really… well… something similar happened before the fight against Fenrir last night but not that big" Emma explained

"Do you know why you can do that?" Fury asked and she shook her head

Without saying anything else, he pulled out a remote and directed it at one of the screens. Immediately, footage of the conversation he had had with Steve, Thor, Tony and Loki while she was still unconscious appeared on the screen.  
Emma turned to look at Fury but he only nodded and motioned her to watch and listen.

In the video, Fury, Thor and Loki told the story of Eira and the story of Emma and how, at some point, they merged into a single story.  
Apparently she was a human but with the soul of a Norse goddess imbibed inside of her and that was why she could project those force fields and why she was such a good doctor; she could heal.

When the video ended, Fury noticed that Emma had tears in her eyes but she continued to struggle to keep them from rolling down her cheeks.

"Did you have any idea?" Fury finally asked

"A bit… I remember when Loki called my by that name… I had a dream with Thor's father. He somewhat told me who I was or whatever but… I didn't know all that… I… I didn't even know I was adopted…"

"I am sorry, Emma" He said sincerely

"What happens now?"

"You must gain control of your powers. If what Loki and Thor say is true then, the only two who can defeat Fenrir are…" She cut him off

"Loki and I" She completed and he nodded once "Won't my body… deteriorate?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I am a mortal, after all… Emma is a mortal… Eira isn't… can my body stand such power?" She questioned

"I do not believe that will be a problem. Thor said Odin sent you to Earth. I am sure he gave you a strong enough human body"

"You think so?"

"I know so… Jansen… Emma… we need you to train with Thor and Loki and prepare yourself for the toughest battle you have ever seen" Fury told her

"I know. Thank you, director" Emma stood up and walked to the door but turned around before exiting "Sir… how long have you known this?"

"We had our suspicions, based on HYDRA's file but we were never certain… although we started wondering when…"

"When Coulson was injured… that's when this all started, isn't it?" He nodded and she scoffed bitterly "My mom… my dad… my brother… or… the Jansens, they wouldn't be dead if it wasn't for me"

"They died for you, Emma, not because of you"

"That's a nice thought…" And with that, she was gone

* * *

"Adrianna" Clint said as he saw her walking into the meeting room "Did you…?"

"Escape? No… Fury let me out…" She answered

"Under what conditions?"

"Agent Moore is back with S.H.I.E.L.D., agent Barton" Coulson said entering "Here is your badge, your ID, your gun and your codes. Welcome back, agent"

"Thanks, Phil…" She replied taking the objects "Hey, have you lost weight?"

"It's so nice of you to notice… I have, yes" Coulson said with a small smile

"Well, I must say you look dashing" Adrianna winked at him and Clint held back the impulse of guffawing right then and there

"How did Fury convince you?" Clint questioned

"Dental plan" She said innocently and noticed the look he was giving her one of his looks "He promised to clear my record"

"And you believed him?"

"So, so… but in case he doesn't do it, I'll make him pay right after finishing the job…" Adrianna smiled and Clint couldn't help to smile in return

* * *

**I know... it's so much shorter than usual (don't bother, I'm already kicking myself for it)**  
**I hope you like it and enjoy it and all those pretty things I usualy say... :D**

**Thanks yet again and I hope to see you next time.**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	14. 13 Jiminy Cricket

**Hello, my darlings!**

**I'm gonna thank everyone before I start rambling on...**

**donnabella2k7 (thanks for the 101th review!), StepiLady (I'm glad you feel connected with the story), coolsweetness55 (so happy it made you laugh), AccioVoldemortsNose (poor Loki? He's the one who opened his big, fat mouth! LOL) and Daughter Of Loki.001(here's the next chapter hehe). Thanks to all of you! MWAH!**

**Okay... now, that's done *checks it off from to do list*. What's next? Ah, yes... the song of the day...  
*while browsing youtube and music files*: THIS IS TAKING ME FOREVER!  
*still looking for it*: Just so you know, I started this at around 10pm and it's now 10:48pm!  
*not finding the right one*: I take music very seriously...  
*wiping the sweat off brow*: .God... I did it! (10:59pm)**

**Song of the day: The Truth by Audiomachine**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN – JIMINY CRICKET**

Unofficially, Emma had, if not the day, at least the morning off so she went to the parking lot, got on her car and drove home.  
The tower was the last place she wanted to be right now.

Once in her house, she slammed the door, threw the bag to the floor and rushed to her bedroom.  
Kneeling next to her bed, she reached out for something she kept underneath it: a box. A medium sized wooden box which looked much more like a chest.

Sitting on the floor, she opened it revealing several items, most of them from her past: pictures of her family, little tokens and souvenirs from trips and visits, photos of her high school friends and so on.  
She picked up one of the images of her parents and her brother and ran her fingers softly over their figures. It was as if they were staring back at her with those loving eyes of them. They loved her; they always did, even if she wasn't of the same blood they were and would always be her family. A drop fell onto the photo and Emma realized she was crying.

"You would be alive if it wasn't for me…" She whispered holding the picture against her chest "I'm so sorry… I'm sorry…"

Behind her tears, in a moment when she slightly opened her eyes she saw something glimmer in the bottom of the box.  
Setting the picture aside, she dug deep, her hand going deep in between the other stuff and then reached the glowing item. It was a ring; a simple gold band. She tried to put it on but it was too big to fit any of her fingers.  
Tracing her fingertips over its edge she could have sworn she saw some letters on the inside part of the band. Then she realized it reminded her a whole lot of Loki's ring; the one she had kept for him.  
And then it hit her: the letters on the back of the ring read 'Eira'

She immediately dropped it and clasped her hands over her mouth containing a shriek. It couldn't be.

"I always wondered where it had ended up" Loki's voice said behind her

Emma stood up almost in a jump and faced him "What are you doing here? How did you…? How did you know where I live?"

"I followed you since you left the tower" He answered honestly "So Odin sent it to Midgard along with you"

"I… I don't know…" She replied looking down at the ring in the floor "I found it among my things…" She immediately picked it up, walked up to him and stretched her hand, offering the ring "Take it"

"I cannot take it. It is yours" He immediately regretted saying that but it was more instinctive than anything else "Forgive me, I did not mean…"

"I am not Eira" Emma told him coldly "My name is Emma"

"I know… I… Emma… you must understand… this is not easy for me"

"And what do you think it is for me? A walk in the park? Oh, no, sir. This is turning into a living hell for me… I am lost… I have no identity because the one I regard as the one is nothing but a façade to hide and protect another person's soul! Who am I? What am I?" She shouted at him completely desperate

Loki, noticing this, crossed the room, vanishing the distance between them and touched her hands with his "You are Emma…"

"You regard me as Eira"

"But I must admit you are Emma"

"Loki, please… leave me alone… I need to be alone"

"Why do you keep running from me? Why do you keep asking me to leave you?" He said leaning down and touching her forehead with his

"Because I don't want to see you right now… it causes me pain"

Loki straightened up, kissed her on the forehead and disappeared.  
As soon as he was gone, Emma practically crawled to bed and cuddled under the covers, holding tightly to Loki's ring and crying herself to sleep.

* * *

"Emma?" Steve called opening her office but found no one "Uhmm… Emma?"

"Dr. Jansen is not here, Captain Rogers" JARVIS suddenly said

"Oh… ok… well, do you… happen to know where she is?"

"She didn't say but I assume she must be at home"

"She's not in the Tower?"

"No"

"I see… well… thanks… JA…" Steve said forgetting the artificial intelligence device's name

"JARVIS, sir. And you are welcome"

The captain gave a small smile not really knowing to whom and then left quite disappointed.

He walked down the corridors thinking and deciding whether he should go and check on Emma or just leave it like that.  
He couldn't believe that now that he had decided to make a move on her everything involving the two of them had started to change and to complicate exponentially.  
She was going through a very rough time right now and he understood that her behavior couldn't be the same but he wanted to be there for her; to support her and hold her hand whenever she needed it. The problem resided in the fact that, as much as she tried to deny it or as much as she tried to avoid it, she seemed to prefer Loki over him. Loki; that same monster that had almost obliterated all life on Earth and all because of a stupid and childish whim.  
What was it that she saw in that guy? He was selfish, obnoxious, arrogant, dangerous and, oh, yes… evil.

"Why so serious, Steve?" Bruce asked as he bumped into the super soldier along the corridor "Is something wrong?"

"No… well, I'm worried about Emma. Did you know she went home?" Steve said and Bruce nodded

"Yeah. She talked to Fury and then decided to go"

"With Fury? Do you think he told her everything?"

"I think he did"

"Did you see her when she left?"

"I saw her as she made her way to the parking lot. She didn't look happy, to say the least" Bruce pointed out

"Do you think… should I go and see how she's doing?" Steve wondered

"I don't think that'd be such a good idea… you know how she is…"

"Yeah… thanks, Banner"

Steve walked past the doctor and returned to his duties without being able to take his mind off Emma.

* * *

The rest of the day went by and Emma didn't return to work until the next morning.  
While getting ready she continuously glanced back at the ring which she had put over her dresser.

It kept emitting the same strange energy she had felt from the other ring and as funny as it seemed, Emma felt like in one of those J.R.R. Tolkien stories.  
That reminded her of Tony and then he reminded her that she still had to get a dress for the gala, as much as she wanted to skip going, she knew she had to, for Tony.

Going through her closet she reached the bottom and found what she had been looking for: a dress. After pulling it out, she admired it and then put it up against her body, looking at herself in the mirror with a small smile "I guess this will have to do"

Putting it back on the closet and closing its doors, Emma reached for her bag and her keys and made her way to the door but suddenly she stopped and rushed back to the bedroom, taking the ring and stuffing it into her jean pocket; then she was gone.

Once at the tower, she parked and walked all the way to the infirmary. There, Bruce was already going through the patients' charts.

"Morning, Dr. Banner" Emma said with a smile

"Good morning to you too, Dr. Jansen…" Bruce replied smiling back and then leaning to her "How are you, Em?"

"I'm good, Bruce. Alive and I think that's what matters, right?"

"I didn't get to ask you yesterday but… did Fury tell you about… you know…?"

"Yeah, he did… that's why I left"

"I thought so. I told Steve that when he asked me" Bruce told her

"He asked you? About me?" Emma questioned

"Yeah. He seemed very worried…"

"He did? Wow… ok… I… I'll talk to him later… as of now… how are the patients?"

"They are perfectly alright" Bruce informed

"What?" She asked shocked "What do you mean?"

"I mean there is no sign of the pathogen in their bodies. Not in their lungs or their red or white cells or their bones or skin… I'm telling you; it's as if they had never inhaled the smoke" He said

"Well, that's… that's good right?"

"Very good… and they owe it all to you"

"You mean…" Emma raised her brows referring to her abilities "Well… at least they are being of some use"

"You are not fully convinced about this, are you?" Bruce asked her as they made their way through the beds and she shook her head "Why not?"

"Because I feel as if I've been robbed of my identity… as if I were nothing but a safe conduct for this Eira's soul to make her way back… and I don't want that. I don't want to lose myself into that double personality category… I don't want to stop being me and… I feel as if everyone is expecting me to be Eira"

"Emma… no one is expecting you to be someone you are not… yes, you might have her powers and her 'soul' but that soul is you… you make it into what and who you are; it doesn't make you what it is, you know what I mean?"

"I think so…"

"Look at me… I'll have to deal with this double personality thing, as you call it for the rest of my life and, it's like what Tony once said to me, when we first met… that my accident and the fact that I didn't die, it all happened for a reason" Bruce said

"And what is that reason?" Emma wondered

"Well… look around you…" As Bruce said this, Emma did so and saw the happy faces of the victims and their relatives "These people would be dead if it wasn't for you… isn't that reason enough?"

Emma couldn't help to smile a little realizing how true Bruce's words were "Maybe you're right, Bruce… maybe there is a reason"

After thanking her friend, Emma went back to work going through the patients' charts, their stats and their medications as well as spending some time with each of them and their families.  
The last one on her list was Betty Connors.

"Hello, Betty. Mr. Connors" She greeted sitting down next to the girl "How are we feeling today?"

"I'm hungry" Betty said cheerfully making both adults chuckle

"She's been saying that all morning… I don't think she likes the food here" Mr. Connors suggested

"Oh, don't worry, I don't like it either" Emma reassured causing the girl to giggle "Anything in particular that you'd like to eat, sweetheart?"

"Mmm… ice cream!"

"For breakfast? Wow… that is some crazy choice… but I like it. Let me see what I can do" She told Betty who nodded enthusiastically "Now I'm going to talk to your daddy for a moment, ok? Just call us if you need anything" Betty nodded again and Emma stroke her hair before standing up and stepping a little away from the bed along with Mr. Connors

"Is something wrong, Dr. Jansen?" He asked concerned

"Oh, no, Mr. Connors, on the contrary. Your daughter is showing rapid and full recovery, just like the other patients. I just wanted to let you know that I'd like her to stay for another night, just for observational purposes…"

"Yes, of course, whatever you say, doctor… you've done so much for my daughter…"

"No, sir, it is my job… and… I wish I could have done more for your wife…"

"Don't say that… you did everything you could… and you've saved my Betty… I don't know what I would do without her" Mr. Connors looked back at his daughter with loving eyes "Thank you so much… I owe you… my life"

"You don't owe me anything, Mr. Connors. Go with your daughter; I'll send the ice cream as soon as possible" Emma winked at Betty before walking away with a content smile on her face

"You seem happy" Bruce pointed out as she approached to where he was

"I am happy… satisfied" She sighed "I hadn't felt like this in a very long time..."

"You should be… you've been saving many lives lately… even Loki's"

"Loki… where is he anyways? Where does he spend his days and his nights whenever he's not around?" Emma felt a little more at ease talking about him now that she felt better

"I have no idea… Thor might know, though… I'm going to the lab, are you staying down here?" He asked

"Yeah, for a while. I have to update the charts and make some reports for Fury"

"Ok then… I'll see you later" Bruce said and she nodded at him as he walked away

"Bruce!" She called and he stopped

"Yes?"

"Thank you… for everything"

Bruce only smiled at her and then he was gone leaving Emma alone with her patients and her work.

* * *

"You are aware I do not intend on spending every night here in the tower, right? I have an apartment and I am quite fond of it" Adrianna told Clint as they made their way to the training room

He had convinced her to spend the night in one of the spare rooms, for her safety and reluctantly, she had agreed but now she was putting her conditions on the table and she expected him to respect them.

"Wouldn't be easier if you'd stay here? Closer to the team?" Clint suggested

"Closer to the team or closer to you, agent Barton?" She asked mischievously

"Whichever rocks your boat" He replied with a sly smirk

"I've only been back 8 hours and you're already hitting on me? Wow… you seriously don't waste your time, do you?"

"And I don't want to waste yours so…" He intended to corner her against the nearest wall but she dodged him and gave him a scowling glare

"You have the gift of making my life incredibly complicated, did you know that?" She asked him as she continued walking

"One of the things that make you love me so much, I'm sure"

"Big word, love, isn't it?"

"Adrianna…" Clint's tone changed drastically and she stopped, turning to face him "Why did you decide to stay?"

"I told you, Fury offered me a great dental plan" She answered

"Nan…"

Adrianna looked around uncomfortably and exhaled "I did it in exchange for getting my record cleared"

"Clever" He said "And you actually believe he'll do it?"

"Nope"

"Then why…?"

"For you, Clint. I chose to stay because of you…" Adrianna openly said and Clint felt as if his heart had skipped a beat "That was Fury's plan from the beginning right? Using you as my soft spot…" He tried to protest but she wouldn't let him "I know you would never agree to that and I know that when you came down to see me last night you didn't do it with that intention but I am not a fool. I know how Fury's mind works and I know that was his purpose and his mean all along" Clint couldn't say anything he just stared at her "I stayed because you asked me; not because of what he promised"

Without saying anything else, Adrianna kept on walking closely followed by an astonished agent Barton.

* * *

"Emma" Someone called from the door and as Emma turned she smiled at the sight of Thor

"Thor, hey! Come in" She encouraged him as she made her way to him "What's up? What can I do for you?"

"Uhmm… not much, really. I just wanted to see how you were, we haven't really spoken since… after everything that happened the other night… are you…?"

"I'm fine, Thor; thank you for worrying about me… and thank you for everything you explained to Fury and the others the other night"

"You know about it" It wasn't really a question

"Yes. Fury told me all about his conversation with you guys and he showed me the tape…"

"And are you… at ease with it?" They had started to walk along the beds

"At first I must admit I wasn't… I mean… it is not something you expect, right?" He nodded in understanding "But now… yeah… you could say I am at ease with it… as long as I can help other people…"

"You sound just like…" He stopped

"Like Eira?" She completed "Don't worry… I'm sure it is meant as a compliment"

"It is… you seem to be handling this very well… too well, actually" Thor told her

"I wasn't a few hours ago" She scoffed

"What made you change your mind?"

"A green friend of mine… you could call it my very own Jiminy Cricket" Emma said

"Jiminy what?"

"Oh, it's like a talking cricket which represents our conscience…"

"I do not understand" Thor said

"Aww, c'mon, from Pinocchio?" He shook his head "Seriously? Nothing?"

"No, sorry" He shrugged and she laughed

"Oh, it's ok… I'll have to explain all of those things to you one of these days"

"I would like that"

Emma couldn't help to feel a warm feeling inside when Thor gave her one of his grins and she grinned in return.

"Do you mind if I stay for a while? Watching you work? Perhaps help you around?"

"That would be nice"

For a long time Thor walked around the infirmary as a shadow to Emma while she worked and explained the many things he continued to ignore about her job and about Midgard.  
At one point he thought it was like all those times he had shared walks with Eira back in Asgard. But Loki had been right: although Eira resided within Emma, Emma was Emma and he was proud to be her friend.

After several hours, Emma, hearing Thor's stomach growl more than once, decided to send him off to have lunch (or more like an early dinner) and that was when she decided to take a break as well.

She left the infirmary with the instruction of being noticed if anything happened, as usual and went to her office but as she opened the door she found Steve waiting for her.

"Steve, hey" She greeted closing the door "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you" He said and Emma couldn't help to think there was something odd about the way he spoke, even in the way he stood

"You wanted to see me… what for?"

"To know if you are alright"

"As much as I appreciate the general concern, I'm starting to feel overwhelmed and quite smothered by all this attention, you know? But thanks… it's very sweet of you" Emma gave him a smile and walked past him, intending to reach her desk but his hand around her wrist stopped her "What is it?"

"You have been weeping" Steve suddenly said looking deep into her eyes

"Uhmm… yeah, a little last night… but it was nothing… I'm ok now…" Steve was making her incredibly uncomfortable and she had never felt like that around him

"I would hate to think it was because of me…" His voice was low and soft

"Why would it be because of you?"

"Well… perhaps I have failed to show you how I truly feel about you…"

Completely taken aback, Emma narrowed her brows and stared at Steve, confusion spread all over her face "How you feel about me…?"

"Is it the same way you feel about me?" He insisted, his face getting closer and closer to hers

"I… I don't know… you would have to tell me how you feel about me first"

"How would you reply if I told you that I love you?"

Emma's eyes opened wide in shock and didn't really know what to say "I… Steve, I…"

"Do you love me?" He insisted

"Steve… I don't… I can't…"

Suddenly, Emma felt Steve's lips pressing against hers and as much as she would have liked to return the kiss and the feeling, she couldn't. There was something deep inside of her that was telling her not to kiss him back; not to break his heart with false hope. She wished she could give her heart to him but as of now, her heart wasn't entirely hers to give.

"I'm sorry, Steve, I can't… I…" She broke the kiss off

"Why not? Do you love someone else?" Steve asked but he didn't really seem affected by her rejection

"What? Why are you asking me these things?"

"Tell me, who does your heart belong to?" He pressed quite aggressively and suddenly the door opened

"Emma?"

Emma thought she was going crazy for at the door, calling her name and watching the very disturbing scene in the office was no other than Steve Rogers.

"Steve?" She asked and then turned to the Steve in front of her "Steve?" And then she opened her eyes wider (if that was even possible) "Who are you?" For the first time since they had started talking, Emma noticed that the eyes of the Steve who had kissed her were not blue like the real's ones but green a very known and familiar shade of green "Loki" She gasped taking a few steps back and as she did this, the fake Steve morphed into Loki's form "Oh. My. God."

"What's happening here? Did I just see what I think I saw?" Steve asked gob smacked

"Yes, I think you did…" Emma said behind gritted teeth and then her eyes, which were conveying nothing but pure shock shifted to a glare of rage "What do you think you were doing? Who do you think you are, messing with my emotions and my head in such ways?"

"I needed to know" Loki simply replied

"You needed to know? You needed to know what?" Emma shouted at him

"If you were in love with the soldier" He said eyeing Steve for a split second "Now I know you are not"

"WHAT? Ok, that's it… GET OUT! GET OUT, NOW!" She yelled and after receiving a look from him that was a mixture of sadness and satisfaction, he strode out of the office but not before giving one malicious smirk at Steve "Oh my God… oh my God…" Emma kept repeating once Steve had closed the door "Oh my…"

"Emma, calm down…" Steve said walking up to her and taking her by her upper arms "What I saw… was it really happening?"

"I'm afraid so…" She replied looking down "I'm sorry, I thought it was you… I…"

"It's ok… I guess… uhmm… what he said… about you being in love with… me…?" Emma looked up wishing he would stop right then and there but knowing him and the situation, she was pretty sure her wish would definitely not come true "He wanted to know if you are in love with me…"

"Yes…"

"Well… are you… in love… with me…?"

"Steve, don't do this to me… or to you…"

Steve, who at this point had started leaning down towards her stood up straight and nodded at her, practically marching towards the door.

"Steve" She called

"No. Don't say anything, Emma. I understand perfectly" He gave her the saddest toothless smile she had ever seen and then he was gone

In her despair and her anger, Emma slammed her fists against the surface of her desk, breaking the glass "Loki!" She shouted "Loki! I'm gonna find you and when I do… you better run, stupid god!"

* * *

**He's so sneaky! I would be mad as hell if he did that! (hehe... well... maybe not... LOL)**

**Soooooooooooooooooo... I know it's not incredibly eventful, but believe me, you need some light chapters before what's coming in the upcoming chapters... chaos, I tell you... CHAOS! So you better stick around if you wanna know what's gonna happen!**

**A big thanks to all of you! I love youuuuuuuuuuuuuu!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	15. 14 I've Been Dying To Kick Your Ass

**Hello!**

**Quickly, cause I'm in a rush!**

**AnchiiSensation (Welcome!), invigorate (Claro que soy Mexicana! A much honra! Jajaja! Bienvenida!), donnabella2k7, Adelene Abnormal, LovingMeLovingYou, KiyUzumaki, Lexi Blaze, Jen Lennon (Welcome to you too!), AccioVoldemortsNose, Daughter Of Loki.001. Thanks to you all! MWAH!**

**Ok, song of the day: Strangely Beautiful by Amethystium**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN – I'VE BEEN DYING TO KICK YOUR ASS**

"Dr. Jansen" JARVIS said

"What now, JARVIS?" After what had happened between Loki, Steve and herself, Emma wasn't really in the mood to be nice to anyone

"Agent Coulson is on the phone"

"And what exactly does he want?"

"Apparently you are under orders of going to the training room"

"To do what?"

"Train" Coulson's voice came from the door making her look up

"What's the point in talking to me through JARVIS if you're gonna just barge into my office, Phil?"

"Director Fury asked me to…"

"To take me to the training room… I heard you the first time… am I supposed to start training with my… abilities so soon?" She asked standing up and walking to Coulson. He only nodded and she only sighed in defeat "Ok, ok… lead the way, agent Coulson"

As they walked down the corridors Emma decided to break the ice and make some casual conversation… well, not that casual.

"Phil… can I ask you a question?"

"Sure"

"When S.H.I.E.L.D. raided the HYDRA facility where you found me… did any of you had any idea that I was there and what I could do?"

"No. We were only aiming the HYDRA officers; we ignored you had been abducted by them, along with your family"

"And why did it take you so long to tell me who I really was?"

"We weren't entirely sure, Emma. You never really showed any special abilities until…"

"Until Loki almost killed you" She completed and nodded

"I never really thanked you for whatever it was that you did"

"Don't thank me, Phil. Even though I had no idea I'm very glad I was able to help"

Not saying anything more they continued to make their way to the training room and once there, Coulson bid his goodbyes and left Emma alone in there.

"And what am I supposed to do here all alone?" She asked

"You are not alone" A very well-known voice to her said behind her but she didn't turn

"You" She snarled

"Yes" Loki replied "Have you come to play?" He asked teasingly

"If kicking your ass counts as playing then yes, I've come to play" Emma said with disdain finally facing him "I could seriously beat you to a pulp after what you did"

"It was only a jest" He answered with that mocking smirk on his lips

"You know it wasn't a jest. What do you have against Steve, huh? What has he done to you?"

"I do not like the way he looks at you"

"And how is that?"

"As if he wanted to own you…" Loki said and saw her furrow her brow "You do not know, do you?"

"I don't know what?"

"The soldier… he yearns for you… his whole presence exudes desire…"

"You have no idea what you're saying" Obviously, Emma was trying to lie to Loki but also to herself "Steve is my friend"

Emma felt extremely uncomfortable talking about this with Loki once again but he kept bringing it up. She knew Steve had a crush on her; she had realized a few days before and, admitting it to herself, she had also had a crush on him; she had even been willing to give it a try but Loki's return had changed everything because everything the god of mischief had described about Steve, Emma felt for Loki. Of course, she was not about to confess to that.

"He wants to be more than that" He proceeded approaching to her

'How I love the way he walks' Emma thought and then mentally kicked herself 'No, don't think that!'

"The question is: do you want to be more than that?"

"What if I do?"

"Oh, but you know that you don't…" Loki dared "It was so clear when you thought I was him… when _he_ kissed you…" He was so close to her; close enough to see her pulse on her suprasternal notch "You pulled away… you didn't kiss _him_ back…"

As nervous as Emma felt she also felt as angry as Bruce probably felt 90% of the time so she bent her knee and suddenly kicked him in his very soft spot causing him to bend down in utter pain.

"Kiss that back" She spat

Spinning on her heel ready to leave, Emma suddenly felt a hand snaking around her ankle and pulling her downwards quite violently and as she looked up she saw Loki ready to get on top of her and subdue her but she kicked him straight on the chest, effectively pushing him away.

"You wanna fight? Good… I've been dying to do kick your ass for a while now"

She was not about to waste this chance.  
Both of them smiled and immediately launched against each other.

At first Loki had the upper hand being stronger and much more powerful than her (and sneakier, of course), using his sorcery to confuse Emma and even, at some point he tried to send a blast of energy her way but he recanted and made the bolt disappear before she could reach him and punch him in the nose.

"I must admit, Emma…" Loki started dodging several blows "You are good" He then grabbed her arm, twisted it behind her back, pressing her back against his body and whispered into her ear "But not as good as me"

With a swift move, Loki spun her around once more and forced her to kneel before him.

"I'm assuming you like this view" She scoffed but still tried to break free

"In all honesty, no" That surprised Emma to a higher point and then felt him soften his grip on her wrist "I would never have you kneel before me"

As touched as Emma felt by what he had just said she was still mad at him and a simple, corny line wasn't going to change her mind.  
Stretching her right leg she kicked him in the ankles, tackling him to the ground but he didn't release her and instead pulled her down along with him.

"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" Loki said

Outraged, Emma did a forward tumble, now being her turn to twist Loki's hand and finally getting free.

As they charged against each other yet again, Thor and Tony entered the room and stopped on their tracks in shock.

"What the hell is going on?" Tony asked

"Loki, what are you doing?" Thor exclaimed

"Emma, you're gonna get hurt!" The Iron Man without the iron agreed

"Stay out of this!" Emma and Loki shouted at them in perfect unison and, noticing this, smirked at each other while the other two just stared at them with nothing more than stupefaction

Loki jumped up while Emma did a couple of frontal somersaults, dodging him as he landed and taking the advantage of his posture to kick him in the ribs. She then took impulse with her other leg on the ground and putting it on Loki's other side and then using the strength of her legs to pull him down.

"You better be careful, brother" Thor started "I have fought with Emma and I can say without hesitation that she is one of the best natural fighters I have ever encountered here in Midgard"

The god of mischief gave his adoptive brother one of his darkest glares and then looked up at Emma "Let us see if you can handle other kind of fighting"

Standing up Loki suddenly stopped being only one; as Emma blinked she realized she was surrounded by at least half a dozen of him.

"As if one wasn't trouble enough" She exhaled and put her guard up once again as the many Lokis laughed maliciously "You find this funny?"

"Yes" All of them said still smiling

With her pride getting the best of her and after pointlessly trying to aim for the real Loki, Emma kicked one of the kaleidoscopic figures crashing quite ungraciously against the wooden floor.

"Ouch…"

"Are you ready to surrender?" They all asked

Indeed feeling defeated, Emma stood up and as she looked at every single 'Loki' in front of them she realized of something: all of their eyes looked dark green, almost grey, very similar to her own eye color. All but one's.

Giving half a smile, Emma extended her arms forward and concentrating everything of her on it, suddenly an energy projection, very similar to the one she had created and that had sent her flying out the penthouse window a few days before, emanated from her palms hitting the group of illusions. As the real Loki fell on his back the copies disappeared into thin air.

"Now you can do it at will?" Tony asked, his jaw practically hitting the floor

"I don't know… I just thought about it and did it… just like the other night against Fenrir…" She replied and then looking at Loki who had already stood up

"I told you so, Loki" Thor said with a smile feeling quite proud of Emma

"How did you know it was me?" Loki asked her

"My little secret"

"Are you still crossed with me?" He inquired

"Even more than before… but this was fun" Emma admitted and then they all heard Fury's voice through the intercoms

"This exercise is to be repeated for at least 2 hours every day, is that understood?" The director said

"Or what?" Emma snapped looking up at the closest security camera

"Or nothing, Jansen. Just follow my orders" And with that Fury cut the connection

"Isn't he just a ray of sunshine?" Tony commented sarcastically making both Thor and Emma laugh

Loki, who remained stone-faced, couldn't help to feel something in the pit of his stomach as he heard Emma's laughter.

"I'm gonna take Fury's intervention as my cue to leave so, gentlemen…" She said looking at Thor and Tony and then turning ever-so-slightly to Loki "Mr. Laufeyson… I'm off. Good night"

"Oh, I do love her" Tony said and both Thor and Loki nodded in agreement

* * *

_Stockholm, Sweden. Seven Years ago…_

"_What a lovely city this is" A twenty two year old Adrianna said leaning against the stone bannister of the balcony_

_Cnl. Fury had sent the very enthusiastic and very young agent Moore off to her first remote operation to the Swedish capital; but he didn't send her alone._

"_This is your first time here, isn't it?" Agent Clinton F. Barton asked behind her, sitting on the hotel bed and watched her nod "I thought you traveled a lot with your family"_

"_I do… I did but we never came here" She replied turning around, facing him "So… what are we supposed to do now?"_

"_We wait. Orumouv's cocktail isn't until tomorrow night; he's presenting his newest product to his guests"_

"_Us included" He nodded "Clint… is it true what I read about Orumouv in his file?"_

"_What part?"_

"_The usage of hostages"_

"_He's known for that… it still surprises me no one has ever stopped him…" Clint thought for a moment and then retracted "Well, no, I'm not that surprised"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Ivan Orumouv doesn't just buys and sells weapons to terrorist groups, drug cartels, mafias and such, Adrianna, several governments are loyal costumers…"_

"_The US' as well?"_

"_I couldn't say for sure but Fury did tell me that he has been wanting to put him down for quite a long time" Clint said_

"_What has stopped him so far?"_

"_The Council" Adrianna raised her brows in surprise "I don't know what those guys are going on about but I can assure you it's nothing good"_

_With a sigh, Adrianna sat on the bed next to him and continued to look out the window while he glanced down at her._

"_What is the worst thing you have ever done in this job?" She suddenly asked_

"_You mean…" She nodded "I've done too many bad things, Nan… and I'm not proud of it but at least, when I joined S.H.I.E.L.D. I made sure whatever I did was for a greater purpose… a greater good"_

"_You joined S.H.I.E.L.D. because of Natasha" Adrianna said and stood up, wrapping her arms around her torso, walking to the open window_

"_Yes. We left out past lives and joined together" He told her understanding where she was going with this_

"_Did you love her?"_

"_Yes"_

"_Do you love her?"_

"_Yes"_

_Clint could have sworn he saw her inhale tensely; standing up, he slowly walked up to her but didn't touch her._

"_How much?" Adrianna continued_

"_How much what?"_

"_How much do you love her?"_

"_A lot" He said and then surrounded her waist with his arms, leaning his chin on her shoulder "As a sister" Still, Adrianna said nothing "Adrianna, you must understand, Natasha and I have gone through so many things together…"_

"_And I have only been a life-long acquaintance and your trainee, right?" She sounded hurt_

"_Well, yes and no" She remained silent and he continued "Yes because, well, you are a life-long acquaintance and you are my trainee… and no because you are not just that and you know it…" He spun her around and placed a very stubborn lock of her hair behind her ear "I joined S.H.I.E.L.D. because of Natasha; that part is true but I stayed because of you" Adrianna furrowed her brow at this "When I left your life when you were fourteen I promised I'd see you again, do you remember?" She nodded "After I forsook my life as vigilante and joined S.H.I.E.L.D. all I could think about was seeing you again and maybe even help you learn to control your powers…"_

"_That's why you came looking for me"_

"_Yes. I knew that, if we were both a part of this, we could be together…" She looked down "And there you were… barely eighteen years old and ready to leave everything behind; your family, your status, your comforts and all for this cause"_

"_I did it because of you…" Adrianna reassured_

"_I might love Natasha but I adore you, Adrianna. I am madly in love with you" Clint reached out and caressed her cheek with his thumb_

_Adrianna felt herself smile and saw him smile after uttering those words.  
Next thing, he leaned forward and kissed her passionately on the lips._

S.H.I.E.L.D. Tower; present day…

That was the last good thing Adrianna remembered in her life. That last night she had spent in the arms of the man she loved so that the next night, everything she had grown to love her whole life could be taken away from her.

Adrianna sat on one of the lounge chairs Tony had purchased for the terrace of the penthouse and looked out at the city.  
The city where she had met Clinton Francis Barton for the first time at the age of twelve. He was eighteen back then and working for a wandering circus; not the kind of friend her mother would have wanted her to have but knowing her, Mrs. Moore had let her daughter do her bidding.

The young man became friends with the young girl and they remained as such for many years in the future until that eventful night in Stockholm where a sole decision made by her to follow her superior's command ended with it all.  
She had killed those people trying to kill that arms dealer and she had done it without thinking about anything else but her own pride.

And now she had reunited with him. She had been spending the last two days with him, training, talking and the such, just like in the old times and even though she had been avoiding it for nearly seven years she had to admit that she liked the feeling it made grow in her chest.

"Hey…" Adrianna heard Clint call walking out to the terrace "What are you doing up here?"

"Thinking"

"About?" He made his way to her and sat on the adjacent chair

"Stockholm"

"Nan, you shouldn't be thinking about that…"

"I wasn't exactly thinking about the incident… I was thinking about the night before"

"Oh… then, by all means, continue to think" He joked and she laughed lightly "I've missed your laughter"

"I've missed yours" She confessed "Clint… what did you think of me… after what happened?"

"Nothing different from what I thought before it"

"No, be honest with me… I need to know… I need to face all the consequences of the things I did… I need you to tell me how much it hurt you to see me turned into a monster" Adrianna pressed

"Adrianna, reviving every second of it won't change a thing. Becoming a martyr won't change a thing. You have to get over it!"

"I wish I could"

"You've been trying to atone for your past actions as a vigilante; I tell you, the world doesn't work like that. The only way to get over it is to forgive yourself"

Suddenly, Clint saw a tear in the corner of her eye glistening with the sunlight and then making its way down her cheek and towards her mouth. He reached out and tried to wipe it but she pulled away from him.  
Not letting her, he leaned forward, catching her face in his hands.

"No. Stop pulling away from me. Stop running from me. Stop it"

As she intended to say something, he silenced her with a kiss. Fighting it at first, Adrianna finally gave into the soothing feeling of his lips against hers.

He parted for a second and said "Come back to me"

Adrianna realized he was repeating the same words he had told her a few days prior, when he had gone looking for her.  
Not saying anything else, she closed the distance between them and kissed him.

* * *

"Sir" Coulson said approaching to director Fury

"Yes, Coulson, what is it?"

"It's the beast, sir… Fenrir. He has been sighted"

"Where?" Fury asked turning violently

"Times Square"

"Assemble the Avengers… and tell Moore, Jansen and Loki to tag along" Coulson nodded and exited the office "Let's see how much of a team they are now"

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN *dramatic music in the background***

**Ok, I'm still in a rush so thanks again, I hope you like it and review and I'll be seeing you all tomorrow!**  
**Love you lots!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	16. 15 This, I Did Not Sign Up For

**I am so sorry I haven't updated in two whole days... I've been feeling incredibly sick... low blood sugar and a very stubborn low blood pressure... have been catching up with my sleep, which has been very little... I know it doesn't justify me not posting but I thought I'd let you know so that you wouldn't be so cruel... buaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! LOL**

**I'm gonna skip personal thanks because I still feel a little low but you all know who you are and I can't thank you enough for reading and reviewing and to all of those, newbies, welcome to our little crazy world ;)**

**The song of the day... let's see... I'd say... Pretender Got My Heart by Alisha's Attic **

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**C****HAPTER FIFTEEN – THIS, I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR**

Steve, Tony, Bruce, Thor, Natasha, Clint, Emma, Loki and Adrianna stood scattered around the glass table in the meeting room.  
Five minutes prior, Coulson had asked them all to assemble due to a serious security threat.

"Fenrir" Fury started and immediately, they all tensed up "He has been sighted… in fact, he's making some sort of scene"

"Where?" Steve asked

"Times Square" Fury answered

"Any casualties?" Natasha inquired

"We don't know for sure, yet. We need you…" The colonel glanced at Emma, Adrianna and Loki "All of you to go there and find a way to take him in, understood?" They nodded "Good… go, then"

The extended team marched out and headed to the parking lot levels where the arsenal and equipment rooms were located.

"Do you still like the Gluck?" Clint asked Adrianna, offering her one

"I sure do" She replied taking it and securely placing it on the holster around her hips

"Take this" Natasha told her handing her another smaller gun "It can come in handy"

"Thanks, Nat" Adrianna smiled and took the weapon

While Tony suited up (apparently it took him a long time when he wasn't in a real rush) and Bruce went to prepare the SUV, Steve, who had already finished with his own suit approached to Emma.  
She had changed into a dark blue jumpsuit, just like Adrianna's and Natasha's (only that Natasha's was black and Adrianna's was dark red) and was preparing her own weapons.

"Emma" He started

"Yes?"

"I don't want you to go"

This made her snap her head up and stare at him "Excuse me?"

"I don't want you to come with us. It's not safe; even less for you" He explained

"I'm sorry… what do you mean by that?" Emma was tired of people telling her what she could and could not do "I am just as a good fighter as any of you… well, maybe not the Hulk but… Fury gave a command, you know?"

"Oh and you are very good at following his command" Tony said sarcastically from the other side of the room

It was then when Emma realized everyone was listening to them "Wait… do you all agree?" They all remained quiet except for Loki

"I agree with Rogers" He said and Emma shot him one of her deadliest glares "I do not want you to go either"

"Well, you can dream about it because that's not happening. I'm coming and that's that" She exclaimed shoving her guns in their respective holsters and storming out, towards the SUV

"She's way too stubborn for her own sake" Natasha pointed out

"We need to make a plan of attack" Steve told them "Let's go"

The rest of the team followed him to where Emma and Bruce stood, next to the armored car.

"Bruce thought of a solution so that all of you agree for me to come along… not that I would've stayed anyways but…" Emma said as they walked towards them

"And what plan is that, Banner?" Thor questioned

"We team up. Emma stays with me throughout the whole thing" Bruce answered

"And you look after her" Loki deduced to which Bruce nodded

"Like in The Bodyguard?" Tony asked and received annoyed looks from everyone "Argh, c'mon! It was a great movie!"

"Do you agree, Captain?" Emma asked and after long consideration, he nodded

"Yes but you must do as we tell you" Steve pressed and she nodded "Good. Ok, people, this is what we're going to do. We split into teams of two"

"One needs to be of three" Adrianna said

"I will go with Emma and Banner" Loki intervened

Steve wasn't truly convinced but nodded in response "Stark and Moore, you go together; Thor and Barton pair up and agent Romanoff, you come with me"

They all agreed and got into the SUV; Clint drove while Steve sat in the co-pilot seat; Adrianna, Thor and Natasha sat in the middle area and Emma sat between Bruce and Loki in the back part, leaving Tony cramped in the further section, sitting next to the spare tire.

"Why did I get this place?" He asked feeling insulted "This, I did not sign up for"

"Because your suit is way too bulky" Clint said from the driver's seat

"I could've flown all the way there, you know?" Tony responded

"We don't want to tip Fenrir off, Stark. We need to keep him on his toes" Steve replied

"I can be conspicuous"

"No, you can't" Everyone told him

"That's called ganging up" He muttered and then went silent

Emma felt incredibly anxious, first of all because Loki kept 'accidentally' grazing the back of her hand with his fingers (she thought about suing him for harassment but then again, she did nothing to remove her hand from next to his) and because they were about to face Fenrir yet again.  
She had barely used her powers again since passing out although she had been successful enough to knock Loki down and without really feeling too weak or bleeding, for that matter; but still, now that she knew the truth behind her identity and her abilities, facing the monster that had destroyed her past life and was threatening to destroy her present made her heart and her mind feel as if in a roller coaster.

"Don't worry" Bruce leaned to her side "I'm not letting anyone hurt you"

"Thank you, Bruce. You're very sweet but it's not me I am worried about" Emma replied

"You're worried about us?" Tony asked and scoffed cockily "We are tough as one of those cookies you can get downtown, Em" She smiled weakly at this "Don't worry, kid… we're gonna take this puppy down"

She nodded and then couldn't help to look up to Loki who was, in return looking down at her. Neither of them spoke a single word; they just stared at each other for a long time, as if they were having a mental conversation.

"Uhmm… guys?" Clint said slowing down "You better see this" He announced as he looked out the windshield

As they all looked out their windows they saw that the adjacent streets to Times Square were virtually deserted with the exception of dozens and dozens of Fenrir's demonic wolves.

"That's… not good" Adrianna commented

"And I am the inconspicuous one, right?" Tony asked irritated "Open the back, Cupid" Barton pressed the button that opened the back door and Tony flew out of the SUV while it was still in motion. He flew to Adrianna's door and opened it "Hop on, darling"

After a moment of hesitation, Adrianna took Iron Man's hand and then they were gone.

"Pull over, Barton" Steve said and the car stopped "What do you see, Stark?"

"They have noticed the car but they don't seem to have any intentions to attack" Tony said through the communicator

"Can you see Fenrir?" Thor asked

"No… not yet"

"Wait, I see him!" Adrianna exclaimed "He's at 42nd Street"

"The Orion Building" Steve said and nodded to Clint "Thor, Natasha; you, Clint and I are going there. Banner, Emma and Loki are staying on 8th Ave., ok?"

"No, not ok! I thought…" Emma started protesting

"We had an agreement, Emma" Steve reminded her and she buffed exasperated

"Guys? Fenrir just noticed you" Tony warned them

"Let's go" Steve instructed and they all exited the car

At the back, Loki was the first one to exit the car, taking Emma's hand and pulling her out, with Bruce following suit

"Banner" Steve called and Bruce turned "Stay there, no matter what, you hear me?"

"Yes" Bruce said

While the team organized, Steve grabbed Emma's elbow and took her a few feet away from the others.

"Steve, let me fight. I know I can help… if you would only…" Emma had started objecting but she was cut off by Steve's mouth pressing against hers

This time she knew it was the real Steve kissing her, not Loki in disguise and she wasn't entirely sure she disliked that. Without really giving her enough time to return the kiss, Steve parted and looked down at her "Stay low. And don't you dare disobeying my order, lieutenant"

And with that, he ran off along with Thor, Clint and Natasha. Emma, still in shock turned to Loki who looked at her with a mixture of pure rage and disappointment. 'Can't I do anything right to them?' She thought as she walked back to her teammates.

"Ok, so, what do we do?" She asked quite uncomfortably avoiding Loki's eyes

"You heard Steve; we stay here" Bruce said

"Yeah, right…" Rolling her eyes, Emma rushed to the corner of the road which led to 42nd street

"What are you doing?" Bruce asked going after her

"Are you seriously expecting me to just sit around and wait for any of them to get hurt?"

"Look, Emma… this is for your safety. We all know Fury sent you out here with us so you could show off your powers again but they are still a little unstable and you could get hurt while trying to use them, ok?" Bruce told her

"But…"

"Emma, please… let's just… let's just wait. We'll intervene if they need us, ok?" Not really knowing what else to say, Emma nodded and while Bruce kept an eye on the street, she turned to Loki who stood in the same place

"I'll be right back" She told Bruce and walked back to Loki "Loki…"

"You didn't kiss him back" He said with monotonous voice

"You don't know that… and if you're basing it on your little experiment in my office…"

"I am not. I know what I saw"

"Loki, please… this is not the time or the place…"

"I am sorry" He said looking down

His stance made her knees go weak and her heart break. This is the last thing she wanted; she didn't want to humiliate him "No… please, don't apologize…"

"I am not talking about that… I am talking about what I am going to do next"

"What?"

Loki looked up at her, broke the distance between them, leaning forward, cupping her face in his hands and tenderly kissing her forehead.

"I did not want it to get to this…" He whispered

"What do you mean…?" She asked breathlessly. Before he could answer, she noticed that his face had started to turn a little blurry and then she realized that everything around her did too "What's… happening?" Her voice came out groggily as she felt everything beginning to spin around her "What did you do to me?"

And with that, she passed out, falling onto Loki's arms who carried her into one of the open buildings. Bruce, who had only seen half of it, ran after him.

"What happened? What's wrong with Emma?"

"Nothing" Loki answered placing Emma down very carefully

"Then why…?"

"I did it" Bruce gave Loki a confused look "I put her to sleep so that she would not try to go out there and fight"

"How long will it last?"

"A few hours" Loki said and started to walk out of the empty building "Stay with her and protect her with your life"

"Where are you going?"

"I am going to kill Fenrir"

And then, Loki was gone.

* * *

"Thor" Fenrir, who had assumed his human form stood at the gates of The Orion Building, watching four of the six Avengers walking towards him "Where is your brother?"

"Isn't one Asgardian enough for you, beast?" Thor spat

"Not really… I want to tear Loki apart for what he did to me…"

"You mean for stopping you from taking over Vanaheim and Asgard"

"I should be king, not Odin… and not you, Odinson" Fenrir replied making their way to them

"Surrender now, Fenrir" Steve told him gaining his attention

"I have heard from you, soldier. You call yourself the leader of this pathetic group and yet you are nothing but a puny human… your race needs to be ruled by a stronger species" The beast said

"Where have I heard that before?" They all heard Tony say as he landed along with Adrianna "Oh, yes… no offense, Thor but your people have some serious megalomaniac issues"

"Silence, tin man!" Fenrir roared

"Tin man? I have been reduced to a weak metal…" Tony replied and Clint scoffed as he pointed one of his arrows at Fenrir

"Surrender now and I will make sure you are shown clemency" Thor continued

"Clemency? How weak are you, God of Thunder that you refuse to fight when in the past you would have not turned away from a bout" The wolf-man challenged "No… I have no desire of clemency or peace… I desire retribution and vengeance… and I shall have it!"

With a loud howl the man before them turned back into his animalistic shape and in between barks and growls he bare his teeth at them, endearing them to fight with him.

They all took their stand: Captain America elevated his shield, Iron Man showed off some more missiles and lasers, Thor raised Mjolnir as thunder and lightning resounded in the sky, Black Widow's Widow Bite locked on while Hawkeye tensed the string of his bow and Adrianna formed a fire ball in her hand. The team was ready.

"The Avengers" Fenrir laughed "I was told about you…"

"By your buddy?" Adrianna inquired

Fenrir looked surprised by the fact they seemed to know about the Overmaster but then half smiled realizing they didn't know anything about him "You know nothing about him, do you? Only that…"

"Don't worry, you'll tell us everything once we take you into custody" Iron Man said

"You will die before achieving that feat, human. Attack!"

After hearing the command, Fenrir's wolves charged against the Avengers.  
The wolves did something now that they hadn't done on their first fight: just like Fenrir, they also had the ability to vanish into a cloud of red smoke and disappear which seemingly complicated things for the team.

"That's… new" Natasha pointed out after shooting one of the beasts dead

"What sort of trickery have you imbibed your offspring with, Fenrir?" Thor questioned as he hit one of the beasts in the jaw with Mjolnir

"It is the new power, Thor. A new era is coming and there is nothing you can do to prevent it" Fenrir laughed

"Maybe he can't" Someone said behind the wolf, making him turn around, coming face to face with Loki "But I can"

Not saying another word, Loki threw a magic blast at Fenrir, sending him flying across the street.

"Brother!" Thor called, dodging one of the wolves' attacks

"Loki, where's Emma?" Steve asked in the middle of the battle

"She is safe. Banner is looking after her" Loki said walking towards the knocked Fenrir

"Protecting a woman, are we, Jöttun?" Fenrir coughed from his spot on the ground, as he tried to stand up "You always fail at that, Loki; when are you going to learn?"

"I have a thick skull" Loki replied and out of nowhere, a spear, very similar to the one he had possessed in the past (with the exception that this one was made all of metal and had no blue glowing gem at the point) appeared in his hands "Let us see how thick is yours, shall we?"

Loki raised the spear, with the intention of striking Fenrir in the head but the wolf disappeared into his signature smoke and suddenly appeared behind him but this time in his human form.

"Have we not done this too many times, Loki?" Fenrir asked "Face it, Laufeyson; no matter how many times you defeat me, you will always lose something you hold dear by my hand"

From his hand came out a long blade and immediately charged against Loki.  
The god of mischief dodged the first couple of blows but then the sharp edge of Fenrir's sword managed to graze him in the arm causing blood to ooze out of it.

"I do love the smell of a god's blood in the evening" Fenrir mocked and charged again only for his sword to be stopped by Loki's reflexes, clashing his spear against it

Using the metal in his favor, Loki slid the spear along the blade, tangling his weapon on Fenrir's arm and twisting it backwards making the beast groan in pain.  
Fenrir bent down and released himself from the spear, hitting the point and then jumping, trying to strike Loki with the sword but the later reacted fast, blocking the blow with the length of his spear as Fenrir tumbled backwards. Spinning around, Loki sent one of his bladed disks in his direction, hitting him in the ribs, the blades nailing deep into his flesh.

"Loki, look out!" He heard Thor shout and as he turned he saw one of Fenrir's offspring running at him with all the intention of ramming him

But Loki didn't have enough time to react. The beast tackled him to the ground and pinned him down, making him lose his spear.  
As he struggled he then heard a blast and suddenly the beast on top of him felt unconscious.  
Looking up he saw Iron Man hovering over him. Tony Stark had just saved his life.

"You owe me one, Bullwinkle" Tony saw Loki nod at him and then he flew away

Looking around, Loki saw what was happening: the Avengers were losing the battle and for the first time, it meant nothing good for him.

"Rogers!" He called at Steve who turned his attention to him "Their weak spot it between the eyes!"

"Between the eyes. Got it" Steve repeated, nodding at him and then smashing the edge of his shield between his adversary's eyes, definitively eliminating it "Thanks"

"Tell the others while I deal with Fenrir!" Loki replied returning his attention to Fenrir who was now battling Thor. Making his way to them, he shot another one of his bladed disks, distracting Fenrir "Go help the others" He told him and Thor looked at him in disbelief "Fenrir and I have unfinished business"

Thor nodded "Very well… just remember to keep him alive. We need him for interrogation"

"I will try my best not to kill him" Loki scoffed and gave Thor a small smile "Go"

Thor was gone in less than a second and Loki was, once again, left to battle his enemy.

* * *

"Guys, what's going on there?" Bruce asked through his communicator

Loki had been gone for several minutes now and after hearing the others' wordy quarrel with Fenrir, Bruce had heard how the battle started.  
Emma continued to be unconscious and in a way he was thankful to Loki for trying to protect her but he was also scared of her reaction once she awoke.

But for the time being, his major preoccupation lay in his teammates; in his friends.  
They seemed to be having a very rough time fighting Fenrir's wolves off.

"We have a serious case of acute wolfitis, doc" Tony joked

"I bet you do…" He heard Black Widow reply

"Isn't Emma giving you a lot of trouble? Oh, no, wait, Loki sang her a lullaby" The man of iron mocked

"Don't joke about it, Tony. She might be listening for all we know" Bruce warned. Without even being able to finish his sentence correctly, Bruce looked up and saw a group of eight demonic wolves approaching to the building they were at "Erm… guys? Guys!"

"What's wrong?" Hawkeye asked

"We have company" Bruce said and they all suddenly heard him hulking out

* * *

"That can't be good" Adrianna told Tony who was standing beside her

"Banner! Banner!" Captain America shouted "Damn it! Thor! Cover me. I'm going back there!"

"Aye!" Thor answered and, while Steve dodged several of the beasts, the god of thunder did what he did best: summon the thunder with his mighty Mjolnir, practically frying half a dozen of the wolves in the process

"Look around you, Fenrir" Loki started as he and his opponent walked in circles "Look at your children… they hold not the strength to face us"

"Now you call yourself one of them? When they defeated you? Humiliated you? Exiled you? Imprisoned you?" Fenrir dared

"How do you know that? Where have you acquired such knowledge, Fenrir? Speak!" Loki demanded

"From the one who is coming to get what you promised. From the one who gave you the power to subdue this pathetic realm and who you failed to" Loki widened his eyes as realization hit him "You know who I talk about, do you not, Laufeyson?"

"What is Scooby talking about?" Iron Man asked, apparently he had been the only one to hear what Fenrir had just said

"Nothing… his words are worthless…"

With all his rage, Loki casted a powerful blast of energy and aimed it straight at Fenrir's head.

"No, Loki! We need him alive!" He hear Thor yell

Acknowledging he was right, he changed the target: a lamp post right above Fenrir's head. Shooting the blast at the post, it came down, falling on top of Fenrir, knocking him out.

At the sight of this, the other wolves disappeared into thin air (and loads of red smoke).

"Wow… I thought it would be harder" Natasha commented

"He is alive… as you commanded, Captain" Loki said looking at Fenrir's immobile form disdainfully

Steve, who hadn't been able to rid himself from the wolves in time to go to Bruce's aid, nodded in Loki's direction.

The next thing they heard was the Hulk's roar and then they all ran to 8th Ave.  
As they got there they realized that the Hulk had singlehandedly obliterated the existence of the eight wolves that had approached the area.

"Emma…" Loki whispered and rushed to her

"You did the right thing, brother… I would have done the same" Thor commended him

"She's going to be incredibly pissed off" Clint remarked

"Maybe, but you have to admit that whatever it was that Loki did to her, probably saved her life… the last time Fenrir attacked he meant to kill her" Tony told them

"Let's get back… Fenrir will not remain unconscious for long" Steve instructed

He intended to take Emma in his arms and get her to the car and obviously that had been Loki's intention as well but the Hulk pushed both of them out of his way and carefully (as carefully as a creature like him could) carried Emma's limp body, taking her out of the building and towards the SUV.

"I could've done that! Better help us with the werewolf!" Tony shouted at the Hulk who was, apparently ignoring him

"I'm calling a team to extract Fenrir and take him back to the tower" Natasha said and proceeded to it

Adrianna, Clint, Thor and Tony walked back to the SUV while Loki remained behind examining one of the dead wolves.

"What is it?" Steve asked him

"These creatures… they are being fueled by something other than Fenrir's own powers…" Loki tried to explain

"Do you think his partner has something to do with it?"

"Perhaps… yes, most likely" He replied and thought about what Fenrir had said 'Who you failed to' Fenrir's words echoed in his head

"Loki… Loki!" Steve called several times pulling the god of mischief out of his mental absorption

"What?"

"Thank you"

This caught Loki totally off guard "For what?"

"For what you did… for Emma"

With a nod, Loki followed the others to the SUV and Steve did the same, not long after.

* * *

**That Loki... when is he gonna let Emma be herself?**  
**For the love of God!**

**I hope you like it and that you keep reviewing... the doctor recommended a good dose of reviews, so... yeah, cooperate, please ;) LOL**

**I'll update tomorrow, promise ;)**  
**Love you lots!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	17. 16 Jealous? Me? PluhEase!

**Ok... I owe you guys an explanation: I know I keep saying I'll post tomorrow but at the moment I can't. Since I haven't been feeling 100% well (health-wise) I haven't got the strength to write as much as I used to and the fact that I am suffering from a mild case of writer's block isn't helping either so I have decided to post every other day instead of every day. I hope you can forgive me and that you understand.**

**Now... EldestDurk, sassymagpie, technicolortucan, Adelene Abnormal, AccioVoldemortsNose, AndoraBlack, Jen Lennon, LauDuJardin, Daughter Of Loki.001, Lexi Blaze (how sweet of you to use the Assemble thing... I don't mind at all, thanks for doing it) and donnabella2k7; thanks to you all for your amazing reviews; they make me smile so much my face hurts LOL.**

**Today's song is... You by The Pretty Reckless**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN – JEALOUS? ME? PLUH-EASE!**

"You say Loki is the one who put him down?" Fury asked Steve who stood, arms crossed, next to him

They had returned to the Tower less than an hour ago and the team that had been sent to retrieve Fenrir from Times Square had arrived and put the man-beast inside one of the highest security cells; very similar to Loki's.  
Fenrir, who had regained consciousness, paced anxiously all across the cell, glancing up to the camera every now and then.

"Yes" Steve replied as they both stared at the screen

"How was it?" Fury continued but Steve tilted his head to the side, confused

"Sir?"

"The fight. The team"

"It is a good team, sir. I am proud to be a part of it"

"Even with Loki on board?" The director finally turned to face the leader of the Avengers but received no answer "How about agent Moore?"

"She is very capable. I am truly surprised by her abilities" The captain answered

"And… lieutenant Jansen?" This was the question Steve was dreading. They all knew Fury wanted Emma to fight and use her powers but, even when Loki had made Emma unconscious without telling any of them, they had all agreed it had been for the best. Noticing his lack of answer, Fury straightened a little and continued "I know what happened, Rogers" Steve snapped his head up at this "Captain, as much as we all care about Emma's wellbeing you have to understand that she is, in the end an agent of this agency and as such, and in her particular case, especially, she is obliged to fulfill her duties"

"Her particular case? You mean because of her… powers? That doesn't mean she has to fight all the time… Colonel, she is not like us. She is not biased or jaded by the cruelty of war… is that what you want? For her to become some sort of super powerful warrior? A hero?" Steve said defensively

"You are all heroes, Captain… and perhaps it is time for you to understand what she is and what she is capable of. I think she's starting to do so…" Fury looked back at the screens and Steve followed his gaze. One of them showed the living room in the penthouse where Emma laid on the couch, apparently stirring and waking up "Perhaps you should give her a chance, Captain"

* * *

"You were good, Adrianna" Natasha said as her, Adrianna and Clint talked next to the window

"Thanks. You were not too bad yourself, Nat" She replied jokingly

"You haven't forgotten what I taught you" Clint added and Natasha elbow him in the ribs "Ouch… ok, ok… what WE taught you" They laughed and saw Tony approaching to them

"Hey, Crimson Tide" He said referring to Adrianna

"Crimson Tide? Is that what? Like my super hero code name?" Adrianna asked

"Yep. It sticks, don't you think?" Tony told her

"Isn't it a little silly?" Clint inquired

"No… no… I… I kinda like it… thanks, Tin Man" Adrianna mocked making the assassins laugh

"Ha, ha… thank you, here I am, breaking my skull to give you a cool name and you decide to call me Tin Man… not nice, missy"

Their laughter fainted as they turned their attention to what was going on over at the living room.  
Bruce and Thor stood next to Emma who continued to be asleep on the couch while Loki leaned against the opposite window frame, looking out and window and glancing back at Emma from time to time.

"What's up with them, by the way?" Adrianna asked

"Who?" Natasha questioned

"You mean Emma and the god of mischief himself?" Tony deduced and Adrianna nodded "Long story short, Emma is the reincarnation of the goddess Eira who used to be friends with Thor and Loki in Asgard and she was killed by Fenrir…"

"That's… sad" Adrianna said

"Yeah…"

"And is there something between Loki and Emma?" Adrianna continued

"You mean like…" Tony made a quite obscene gesture

"That's disgusting!" Clint exclaimed

"You are sick, Stark" Natasha said and walked out of the room

"But that's what you meant, wasn't it, Nan?" Tony asked

"Not that graphic or in depth but yeah, something like that"

"Well, I don't know because Emma stands up a lot for Loki and he seems more… calm whenever he's around her but I always thought she had a thing for Steve… just like he does for her" Tony explained

"Complicated" Clint concluded and the other two nodded

* * *

Over at the couch…

"How did Loki do it?" Bruce asked Thor referring to the spell Loki had put on Emma

"You know his main ability is the sorcery, Banner…" Thor replied

"But it won't hurt her, will it?"

"No. He did it to protect her. You heard him"

"She's going to be so mad when she wakes up" Bruce said looking down at her

"I have no doubt she will. But she must stop trying to prove herself worthy" Thor agreed also glancing at her

"She was trying to help and protect us. She is not like that, she has faith in herself, I know it"

"You are right, Banner" Thor said after a moment of looking at her in silence "It is just that… she was my friend and I lost her once… it broke my heart… I would not want to lose her again and even less to the same evil"

"Is that what Loki thinks?" Bruce asked and Thor nodded "He loves her very much, doesn't he?" Thor nodded again and smiled weakly

"I think he has never loved anyone so much… I know that he and I have gone through a lot…"

"And he tried to kill you… repeatedly" Bruce pointed out making Thor scoff

"But I know that there were true good feelings within him about me and my family… he is capable of loving, Banner. Deep down he is a good person and Emma is the living proof of that"

"Are you asking me to trust Loki?" Thor nodded and so did Bruce "I saw the way he was with her out there… I know that what you're saying is true…"

Before any of them could say anything else, Emma began stirring and moving, ready to open her eyes.

"She is awaking" Thor announced to the team

They all gathered around her except for Loki.

"Mornin' sunshine" Tony greeted as she opened her eyelids

"Why am I waking up? Oh, please tell me I didn't faint again… I thought I had it under control!" Emma complained sitting up

"Uhmm… not exactly" Clint said eyeing Loki, who continued to stare out the window

Emma's eyes began to widen as she remembered what had happened and jumped up outraged "You put a spell on me!" She exclaimed pointing at Loki but he didn't reply "How dare you decide what I'm to do? Who do you think you are?"

"Told you so" Bruce muttered to Thor

Without any consideration, Emma practically stomped her way over to Loki, ready to confront him.

"I asked you a question" She insisted but again, he remained silent "Oh, so you're giving me the cold shoulder, right? After what you did to me?"

"What I did to you?" Loki suddenly snapped turning to her "I saved your life, you foolish brat! Let me tell you something: stop shouting at people and complaining about everything and start thanking for everything everyone here does for you; to keep you safe and alive since you seem to have a knack to get into trouble!"

No one in the room could say a word and the silence was so deep you could hear a needle hit the floor.  
Emma just opened and closed her mouth trying to say something but nothing came out.

"What's going on?" Steve asked as he walked in, having missed the whole scene

"Nothing" Emma replied adopting a colder stance "What happened with Fenrir?" She continued to have another of her typical staring contests with Loki

"We captured him. He's in one of the cells" Steve told her

"What level?" She questioned

"Emma… I don't think…" Tony started but she cut him off

"What level?" Her anger was clear in her insistence as she continued to stare deep into Loki's eyes. But no one said anything "JARVIS"

"Yes, Dr. Jansen?" The artificial intelligence device answered

"Please, do tell me in what level the hostile Fenrir is being kept?"

"Don't JARVIS" Tony said and finally Emma broke eye contact with Loki, shooting Tony one murderous glare "I'm sorry, Em and I'm even sorrier for admitting it but Loki's right. You just won't let us protect you"

"Because I don't want nor need protection! Stop treating me like a little child!" She shouted at all of them "I've never used this as a justification but you know what I've been through; you know what I can do. I know you mean well because you are my friends and you care about me but… please… just…" Her voice trailed off and looked down "JARVIS"

"Level B-40" But it wasn't JARVIS who answered. It was Steve. Emma looked up at him and as he nodded, she gave him a small smile full of gratefulness "Come on. I'll take you to him"

Not saying anything more, Emma gave one last glare in Loki's direction and then walked out of the penthouse leaving good poor old Loki sulking away.

* * *

In the elevator, Emma and Steve stood silent as the steel box began going down.

"Thank you" She suddenly said

"Don't thank me" He replied and she looked at him puzzled "It is your job, after all… lieutenant"

Emma saw him giving her half a smile as he said this and feeling relieved she sighed and smiled back "Yes… yes, it is, captain"

Some minutes later, they reached their desired floor and exited the elevator.

"Identification requested" Said the now familiar mechanical female voice through the speakers

"Jansen Emma A. Foxtrot-Bravo-Zero-Seven-Nine-Six-Alpha-Charlie" She recited yet again

"Lieutenant Jansen E. Level Six clearance" The voice replied "Welcome, Lieutenant"

Steve nodded motioning her to go in first and as she did, he followed.  
This level was very different from B-38, where Loki had spent his first night in. It had higher security systems and the cells were not made of glass but steel; although, the only tenant in them was Fenrir.

"Has he said anything so far?" Emma asked Steve

"No. He's been terribly restless, though"

With a nod, Emma and Steve continued walking down the steel lined corridor until they reached the last cell.  
Inhaling deeply, Emma raised her hand and opened the small window that door had and came face to face with Fenrir in his human form.

"Fenrir" She said

"Eira… wait… what is it that they call you here?" Fenrir almost laughed as she lifted her chin but remained silent "Ah, yes… Emma"

"Why have you come to this planet? What are you intentions?" Her interrogation came out clear and fearless

"To kill you"

"Not gonna be easy"

"I wasn't the first time, I must admit but in the end… I triumphed" Fenrir smirked. Emma looked straight into Fenrir's yellow eyes. In his human form he reached Thor's height and probably the same built as Steve. His skin was of a greyish tone and his hair black and shaggy "I must say…" He continued "I find this new… body of yours much more pleasing than your last one… it is much more… enticing" He licked his lips like any common dog would

"Why thank you" She snapped back sarcastically "Who is this partner of yours, huh?"

"He is very powerful… and he will destroy all of you… if I don't do it first, of course" Fenrir looked down at his nails as if their state mattered to him

"And this very powerful man…"

"He is no man, healer" Fenrir cut her off with a snarl "He is more than a god… he controls the darkness and the death"

"Ok, so… if he's not a man and he's more than a god… what is he?"

"He is a Titan"

"A Titan… ok… and I suppose he is the one who freed you from your cell in Asgard" He shrugged "Alright… well… did he summon the power to bring you here?" A nod "So I assume he is here as well"

"You will meet him very soon, goddess. He will release me soon enough to watch you and your hero friends fall… I will have my revenge on Loki, Thor and you and he will provide it for me"

"What is this Titan's name?" Steve questioned

"That I will not tell… he and I both want it to be a surprise…" Fenrir was now toying with them "But I will tell you this: Loki is not one to be trusted, mortals… I would not be so comfortable around him if I were you"

"Let's go, captain… it is obvious this creature is nothing but the Titan's pet" Emma spun on her heels and started to walk away but Fenrir rushed to the door and shouted at her

"Wait, Óðrdaughter!" Emma stopped but didn't turn "Ask your dear Loki about the Overmaster" This made her turn around "Ask him what he owes him in return for his aid"

"That's enough. C'mon, Emma" Steve finally intervened and proceeded to lead her away while Fenrir continued to shout

"I will be free once more Óðrdaughter and I will watch you and all your kind burn!"

* * *

"What does Loki have anything to do with this Overmaster? I don't understand" Emma said once they were safely away from Fenrir in the elevator

"I don't know but I do agree with Fenrir; we shouldn't trust Loki" Steve told her

"Steve, I know you don't like him…" He scoffed at this "Ok, that's the understatement of the year, sorry… but as much as he manages to get on my nerves he has done nothing but help us"

"You are incredibly ambiguous when it comes to him… why do you defend him after the things he's done?"

"Because…" It took her a long time to find the right answer and in the end her brain betrayed her by remaining silent

"Because you love him, don't you?"

She said nothing in return and then she just watched Steve pressing the emergency stop button, halting the elevator.

"Steve, what…?"

Placing his hands on both sides of her face, he brought her lips down to hers and kissed her even more passionately than before.  
As shocked as she was, Emma couldn't help to return the kiss but only for a second for when realization hit her, she pulled away and turned her face away feeling ashamed.

"I am in love with you" She suddenly heard Steve confess and she closed her eyes "And I know you were in love with me" Emma looked up at him not understanding what he meant "But it all changed when Loki came"

"Loki? I don't love…" He cut her off

"Yes, you do… and I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that this Eira was in love with him… I know who you are and I know what you feel…" Standing straight, Steve took a few steps away from Emma and unlocked the stop button, setting the elevator back in motion "But I still don't trust him"

"That makes two of us" JARVIS could be heard agreeing

* * *

"I feel terrible" Tony said pouring himself his eighth drink and then taking it all in a single gulp "I should've stood by Emma"

"Then why did you agree with Loki?" Adrianna asked taking a glass of her own

"I have no idea…" He replied smashing his head against the counter

"I know why" Thor said walking to them "Because you care about her. We all do and she knows it"

"But she is right, you know? She's asking us to trust her; she's asking for a chance and all we do is restrain her… we need to cut her some slack" Bruce added

"It's not fair for her. We know what she's had to put up with her entire life and now this complicates it even more… I feel terrible" Tony repeated once again smashing his head on the counter

"You might want to put your suit on if you're going to be doing that, Stark" They all heard Emma say from the door

"Em!" Tony stood up and rushed to her "I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so…" He paused to gasp for air "Drunk… wow…"

Emma couldn't help to laugh at this as a mildly intoxicated Tony hugged her "Oh, so you're one of those loving drunks?"

"I love you" Tony slurred quite hilariously

"I love you too, big can" Emma replied and gave him a quick peck in the cheek "Uhmm… a little help, anyone?"

Tony had gone practically limp and Emma was supporting his entire weight. Clint rushed to her aid and passed Tony's arm around his shoulders.

"Let's take him to one of the rooms. I don't think he'll be driving or flying to Stark Tower tonight" Bruce said as he helped Clint and getting out of sight

"What information did you get from Fenrir?" Thor asked

Steve and Emma told Natasha, Adrianna and Thor what Fenrir had said and while the captain continued with the explanation, Emma sneaked out of the conversation with the intention of finding Loki.

It didn't take her long. He was only a floor above them on the roof, looking out at the city.  
She hadn't really admitted to what Steve had asseverated earlier but she wasn't sure she wanted to deny it either.

As she looked at Loki, his hand clasped behind his back, his posture as regal and elegant as ever and his black hair moving a little with the breeze, she couldn't help to feel an incredible fascination and magnetism towards him… even when he had shouted at her and had called her a foolish brat.

"Have you come to yell at me some more?" He asked sensing her but not turning around

"If I remember correctly, you are the one who shouted at me last" She replied taking a few hesitant steps forward

"And you shouted at me first" He said slightly turning his head but showing a clear smile "I am not sorry, you know?"

"Are you ever sorry about anything?" Emma asked taking a place next to him

"All the time" Loki admitted to Emma's surprise who looked up at him with her brows raised "But do not tell Thor I said that" He sounded amused, almost as if there were some sort of complicity between them

"Loki, do you think me weak?" She suddenly inquired, looking to the front and gaining Loki's attention

"No" He answered "But I think you valuable. That is why…"

"That is why you treat me like a foolish brat?" She completed gaining an awkward look from him "That is, after all, what you called me"

"I recall it, thank you very much" He responded sarcastically "Emma… if you only knew what you do to me"

By this point, Loki had walked away from Emma and was running his hands through his hair.

"You are amazingly confusing, Mr. Laufeyson" Emma suddenly said making him look at her "I remember a few days ago when you arrived… the time I went down to see you at your cell… at first you called me stupid, pathetic, insignificant and God knows what else and now you treat me as if you actually cared about me…" He was about to say something but she continued "It's obvious you love Eira; I'm not even gonna try to deny that but the fact that you keep confusing me with her is just taking me up to my boiling point and I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to contain myself" She had practically said the last few words without thinking

"Contain yourself from what?" He asked and Emma gulped "You are angry at me" He deduced

"Why, of course I am!" She said defensively

"You are but not for the reasons you think" Now Loki was making his way to her "You are jealous"

"Jealous? Me? Pluh-ease!" Emma exclaimed "Who could I be jealous of?"

"Eira" Loki simply said now walking, circling her

"Are you insane? Seriously, Loki… like I said: you keep confusing me with her, you even told me that you loved me because I, in some way, am Eira and now you tell me I'm jealous of her?"

"You are jealous of her because I am in love with her and you are in love with me" He said into her ear. Emma felt as if she had stopped breathing and her body immediately tensed up "Aren't you going to deny it?" He chuckled at her lack of answer "No… you will not deny it… because that is the reason why you did not kiss the soldier back… that is the reason why, whenever I am out of sight you come looking for me… that is the reason why…"

"That is the reason why what?" She asked as he stopped walking and faced her

"That is the reason why you risked your life to save mine… not because you hold Eira's soul but because you are in love with me" Emma's breathing intensified as Loki shifted his look between her eyes and her lips "Admit it"

"No" She replied

Loki smirked and in the next moment caught Emma's lips with his.

Feeling betrayed and humiliated, Emma pushed him away and with tears in her eyes slapped him across the face "Don't you dare kissing me again" She said behind gritted teeth "They were all right. I shouldn't trust you… no one should… all you do is hurt those around you… those who come close to caring about you…" She started to walk away but he caught up with her and tried to kiss her again. She wouldn't let him "I said no! From now on the only times we shall speak will be about work and nothing more…" She stormed to the stairs but heard Loki say something

"The next time I kiss you it will be because you ask me to"

"Don't count on that" She replied and then she was gone

* * *

**Things are not looking good for Loki, I tell you... but he's got such a big fat mouth... oh, well..**

**Thank you all so much! Love you all very very much!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	18. 17 His Horny Pajamas

**Posting day! Turiruri!**

**sassymagpie, technicolortucan, donnabella2k7, outthere101, coolsweetness55, KiyUzumaki, StepiLady, xxlokixxGJ, AccioVoldemortsNose, Daugher Of Loki.001, Leigh Tate, thank you all so very very much... I love you all! MWAH!**

**Ok, so... just so you know, as of right now, everything starts going downhill for our characters... a lot of tears, a lot of blood, a lot of... a lot of that which makes stories interesting, so stay tunned... tuuuuuuuuuunned! ;)**

**The song of the day has to be, without a doubt The Very Thought Of You by Natalie Cole (a hint why, it involves dancing... *wink wink*)**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – HIS HORNY PAJAMAS**

The following two weeks were pretty busy for all of them.  
With the poor information Emma and Steve had managed to get from Fenrir, the engine of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s central intelligence had been put into full motion.

The words Titan and Overmaster were the most browsed for in the agency and many agents were sent out all around the word looking for either useful intel or the Overmaster himself.

Steve interrogated Loki on his knowledge of the so-called Titan/Overmaster but he denied having any familiarity with him.  
Bruce continued to go through the chemical results of the smoke and the blood samples they had gathered from the patients (who had been released by Emma less than a week after the attack).  
Natasha, Adrianna and Clint were the three main agents sent out to gather whatever they could on this Titan so they weren't seen around the facilities for many days.  
Tony split his time between New York and Los Angeles, pestering Pepper while she tried to run Stark Industries.  
Thor would spend his day either training with Steve and Loki or making strategic plans with the Captain.  
Fenrir remained in his cell and didn't seem to be giving any sort of trouble whatsoever, which, in a way, unnerved the entire team.

As for Emma, she was hardly ever at the Tower, having decided to spend more time at the helicarrier with the intention of continuing with her duties as head of the Biological Research and Counter-Terrorism Division and of course, trying to have as little contact with Loki as possible.  
But it seemed impossible. Following Fury's orders, Emma was taken every day to the Tower to spend at least three hours training with Thor and unfortunately for her, with Loki because, apparently, it was around him when she excelled with her powers the most.  
Yet it didn't mean she actually spoke to him at all; only when he had a suggestion or a pointer (He had a knack for making both of them sound like either criticism or reprimands). Apart from that, they both did a wonderful job at ignoring each other.

The morning Tony's gala, he and Pepper arrived to New York and installed themselves at Stark tower.  
Tony decided to pay everyone a visit at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Tower and make sure they were all ready for the great event.

"Good day, children" He greeted as he walked into the penthouse only to find it almost empty. Only Clint, Natasha and Adrianna were there. They had arrived the night before "Just you?" He asked disappointed

"Wow, thank you, Stark. It's very nice to see you too" Adrianna said feeling insulted

"Oh, dear, don't take it so personally… but I was hoping to get a welcome back party or something"

"We came back last night and we didn't get one of those either" Clint replied

"Well, where are the others?"

"Steve was going through some logistic details with Fury, Bruce is in his lab and Thor and Loki are training, I think" Natasha answered

"What about Emma?" Tony inquired

"As far as we know she has spent most of her time at the helicarrier. She only comes here to train" Adrianna explained

Tony knew there was something off about it but said nothing to the agents and just exited the penthouse.

* * *

"No! Do it again!" Tony heard Loki shout but he wasn't entirely sure to whom

Of course, his doubt was cleared as soon as he turned the corner and entered the training room.  
Emma was on the floor, one knee down and panting as she looked up at Loki quite upset while he stood before her, yelling at her.

"How do you intend to control your powers if you cannot even dodge one blow?" Loki chastised

"Brother, perhaps…" Thor tried to intervened

"No. No maybes, no perhaps. She can do it…" He said and looked at Emma "She is just too lazy to do it"

"Whoa, man, I know you like to wear horns but that doesn't mean you have to bully her!" Tony said walking to them

In her anger and frustration, Emma jumped up, threw herself at Loki kicking him in the gut and then throwing him an energy projection, skill she had developed during the past few days and which derived from her control of force fields.  
The projection hit Loki hard enough to send him flying across the room and to crash on the wooden floor with a loud thud.

"That was awesome!" Tony exclaimed "Who are you and what have you done to my sweet Em?" He asked as Emma brushed the dust off her track suit and walked up to him

"Hey, stranger. I haven't seen you in almost a week!" Emma said hugging her friend

"Yeah, I know. Sorry; I've been helping Pepper prepare everything for tonight's gala"

"Helping or hindering poor Pepper?"

"A little bit of both… well… mostly the second but she likes it…"

"Yeah, I'm sure she does…" Emma winked at him and then turned to Thor "How was it, Thor? Better?"

"Absolutely, Emma. I think this is the bigger and strongest you have done so far" The god of thunder complimented

"Oh, well… I had great inspiration…" She said sarcastically glancing at Loki's direction, noticing him standing up "Are we done?" She asked Loki

"Not quite"

Right after answering, he threw one of his bladed disks in their direction; Emma, seeing it, extended her hands and effortlessly created a force field big enough to protect Thor, Tony and herself, deflecting the weapon and disintegrating it at touch.

"And you don't bleed anymore!" Tony commended as she made the shield disappear "Have you been training every day?"

"Yes" Again, she couldn't help to glance at Loki who looked both angered and satisfied

"Well, we should get going. I don't want you to have bruises for the gala"

"I'll see you upstairs, Thor" Emma said and turned to Loki "Thank you and good day, Mr. Laufeyson"

Tony led Emma out of the training room without noticing the hurt in her face and in Loki's as well. Neither of them would admit it or say anything about it but every time she said goodbye in that manner something in their chest burnt.  
Of course, knowing his brother, Thor noticed.

"You should apologize" He advised

"To what end, Thor? She is right to be like this with me… I have done nothing but harm her. And she has harmed me in return" Loki said with a certain measure of sadness walking away

* * *

A few hours later and after two weeks, the Avengers were finally reunited again along with Emma and Adrianna who had fit into the team like a glove.  
They were all gathered upstairs in the penthouse listening to the endless details Tony had requested for the gala.  
Federal figures, military guests, some of Tony's many acquaintances, practically all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s payroll and of course, all of the Avengers had been invited.  
It was said to be one of the events of the century.

"Don't you think you should've cancelled it, Tony? Or at least postpone it?" Bruce suggested

"Why? There's nothing wrong with having a bit of fun, is there?" He defended

"Well, no but… the crisis is not over yet" The doctor said

"Not completely, no but Fenrir is behind bars. He can't hurt us…"

"Yes but the Titan isn't" Emma added gaining everyone's attention "God knows who he is and where he is… he could attack at anytime"

"Emma is right… perhaps you should call it off, Stark" Steve agreed

"Ow, c'mon, people! When was the last time any of you had fun?" Everyone remained silent "See? We all need to wind down… a night of socializing, dancing, eating and drinking isn't going to hurt anyone"

"I like the idea of that" Thor grinned making Emma giggle "I have not attended a feast in ages!"

"That's the spirit, Point Break!" Tony said patting the Norse god in the arm

With silent nods accompanied by smiles, they all agreed with the idea.

"I wonder what Loki will be wearing" Clint commented trying to imagine the god of mischief in a tuxedo

"Probably his horny pajamas…" Tony mumbled

"What do you mean?" Emma asked

"Well… I didn't actually invite him…"

"What?" Thor asked enraged "How could you not invite him? After all he has done to clear his name before your eyes?"

"You shouldn't have left him out, Tony" Emma suddenly said

"You too? Why do you want him to go anyways? It's not like he actually likes us or any of this stuff…" Tony continued

"Well… because… because Fury wanted him to integrate to the team, you all know that and excluding him won't help at all" She rushed to say

Even though she was as mad as she could get at Loki she still hated the fact that the team (except for Thor, of course) and even the rest of the agency continued to exclude him and treat him as a hostile. Thor was right; Loki had done nothing against them since his return and knowing that nobody took that into account bothered her as much as she knew bothered Loki (although he would never admit it).

"Why, look who's talking! If I heard correctly you've been ignoring him all this time!" Tony snapped

"I have not"

"Yes, you have… you only talk to him when you're training and you wouldn't even do that if Fury hadn't ordered you to" Natasha added

"Ha! See? I was right!" Tony celebrated

"Thanks a lot, Nat" Emma muttered sardonically

"Sorry" The agent replied with a shrug

"Just… forget I said anything, ok?"

With that, Emma walked out of the penthouse and went straight to the training room hoping to blow some steam off. She wasn't just mad at Tony; she was mad at the entire situation. It was driving her insane having to pretend all the time.

Pretend to be completely focused when at work; pretend to be happy when with friends; pretend to be obedient when with her superiors; pretend to be indifferent, taciturn and rude when with Loki. It all was too much for her.  
But she wouldn't appear weak. Not before colleagues, not before friends, not before bosses and not ever before stupid, arrogant and cruel gods of mischief.

Unfortunately for her, as she arrived to the training room she realized Loki was still there. Thinking that maybe he hadn't seen her or sensed her, she spun on her heels and tried to flee but it was futile.

"You might be getting better, Emma but you can't still sneak up on me" He said "I could even hear your heartbeat" Self-consciously, Emma brought her hand up to her chest and he noticed as he turned around "I thought the training was over for the day… seeming that you all have a big event tonight"

"Yes… well… I wanted to steam some adrenaline out" She mumbled "But the room feels too busy… so I'll just come back later"

"When you are wearing a long gown?" He teased

"Maybe"

"Anyone would think you were looking for me… coming here, where I am…"

"Well I wasn't" She turned around, ready to leave but he suddenly appeared before her, blocking her way "Let me pass"

"Or what? You'll scream?" Loki dared maliciously "Go ahead… scream…"

"I can't believe I ever thought there could be an ounce of goodness in your heart…" This comment took him by surprise and he just furrowed his brows at her "I was imagining it all…"

Emma left the room and Loki thinking about the last thing she had said. He would prove her wrong and he would do it when she least expected it.

* * *

Just like many others, Emma was allowed to go home early that afternoon to get ready for the big night.  
After getting home, she poured herself a drink and headed straight to the bathroom to take a bath. Once that was done and she had relaxed a bit (obviously not enough) she wrapped herself in a robe and proceeded to do her makeup and fix her hair.  
Finishing that and making sure it looked good, she changed into her dress, put on some perfume, grabbed her small purse along with the invitation and exited her house. Tony assured her a car would be at her to take her to the event and so it was. A fancy black car with a driver was out there waiting for her to take her to the gala. The very polite driver opened the door for her and once she was settled, he got in and drove off.

"It's a lovely night, isn't it, miss?" He asked nicely

"Yes… lovely" She replied looking out the window and into the starry sky

For the rest of the journey silenced reigned until they reached the tower where the diver parked, got out and opened the door for Emma, offering his hand.

"Thank you" She told him

"You are welcome, Ms. Jansen. Have a fun night" The driver said and walked back to his side of the car

"I hope so…"

Emma looked up intimidated by the sight of the tower at night; she had been there before but never at night and the sight of it somewhat frightened her, to be honest.  
But she then realized that Tony and Pepper, of course had outdone themselves putting several sets of professional lighting to enhance the size and magnificence of the astounding building.  
Shaking her head trying to compose herself she walked down a very fashionable red carpet where several reporters, photographers and press representatives shouted at her and at all of those who continued to arrive.  
Disliking it, she covered her face with her purse and walked right through the door, handing the guard her invitation and getting away from all that unwanted attention.

With a sigh of relief she made sure her dress was straight and walked to the elevators.  
It quickly took her to the top floor, above Tony's personal apartment, where a reception venue had been especially built for the occasion.  
As the doors opened a great hall with high ceilings, tall ivory colored walls, red velvet drapes hanging besides the large windows and marble floors revealed before her eyes.

There were tables with beautiful centerpieces which consisted of red roses, surrounded a large area which Emma assumed was to be used as dance floor while at the further end a string quarter played quietly as the guests mingled amongst themselves, commenting about the general splendor.

"Emma!" She heard a woman calling her name and when the woman managed to get through the sea of people Emma couldn't help to smile at the sight of Pepper Potts "Emma, hi! It's been so long since we last saw each other" Pepper said kissing Emma's cheek

"Yes, it's been a long time… You look amazing, by the way" Emma complimented Pepper's choice of a light pink satin mermaid gown "And the place looks fantastic"

"Oh, thank you… it was a living hell to make it but I think we pulled it off" Pepper said

"Oh, yes we did" Tony, who wore a pinstriped custom-made sort of tuxedo, agreed joining them "Emma, you look stunning"

Tony took Emma's hand and made her spin around showing off her long sleeved, floor length, body fitting dark green dress. The neckline went up to her collar bone and a small and simplistic detail of golden pieces appeared as belt. Her hair was parted to the side in soft yet defined waves and her make up enhanced her natural beauty; just perfect for the evening.

"Thanks, Tony…" She blushed slightly at the compliment "Has anyone else arrived yet?"

"You mean the other Avengers?" Pepper asked and then hurried to say "Which I still know nothing about…" Emma couldn't help to laugh at this

"Yeah, Rogers, Barton, Natasha, Adrianna and Banner are all here… the only one missing is Thor… I bet he's having trouble with the bowtie"

"Don't be mean, Tony" Pepper reprimanded

"I'm going to say hello, excuse me" Emma said and walked to where her friends were

She was quite impressed by the group of very good looking people standing in front of her:

Clint wore a dark grey suit with a black tie; Adrianna an A-cut red dress with ¾ lace sleeves, her hair in a side pony tail; Natasha an almost-too-tight black strapless dress; Steve a regular black tuxedo with a black bowtie and Bruce a light grey evening suit with matching tie; they all looked like out of a catalogue.

"Wow… and I thought I had overdressed" Emma commented making her way to them

"Look who's talking" Clint replied checking her out and giving a low wolf-whistle

"Grow up, Barton" Natasha said making them all laugh

"So… what do you think?" Bruce asked Emma as they all looked around taking in the place

"I think… it's beautiful… and very over the top…"

"Which makes it very Stark-like" Adrianna agreed

"Where is Thor, by the way?" Clint asked

"Tony said he might be having some trouble with his bowtie" Emma said

"And he was right" Bruce pointed out and they all look to where he was looking

Thor was entering the hall wearing an all-black suit with white shirt and conveniently the first 2 or 3 buttons open, carrying the mangled bowtie in hand.  
He noticed them and went straight to them.

"This contraption is exceedingly puzzling" He told them

"Here, let me help you" Adrianna offered taking the bowtie and taking about five minutes to put it rightly on "There… see? Piece of cake"

"Thank you, Adrianna" Thor smiled at the recently named Crimson Tide and kissed the back of her hand as sign of his gratitude "By Odin… you all three ladies look exquisite" He said chivalrously

"Ok, that's it. We have a winner for the best compliment of the night" Emma joked and they all laughed in return

Steve suddenly cleared his throat and approached to Emma "Uhmm… Emma, would you… would you like to dance?"

Emma looked surprised by Steve's offer but took it nonetheless "Yes, I'd love to"

With a smile, he offered his hand and she took it. The rest of the team watched them walk to the dance floor as one particular song began to play.

"They make such a lovely couple" Adrianna commented

"It's very complicated, Adrianna…" Bruce said

"Because of her feelings for Loki, you mean?" Clint asked and Bruce nodded

"If only my brother wasn't so foolish and proud…" Thor told them

"Great! They're dancing!" Tony said joyous as he joined them "Let's see if a night without Loki makes Emma change her mind… no offense, Thor"

Thor, who had furrowed his brow at Tony's comment continued to look at Emma and Steve rocking softly to the music.

* * *

"The place looks lovely" Emma said trying to make small talk as they danced while Steve held her hand and had his other hand on her waist and she rested her free hand on his shoulder

"Yes" Steve replied and then continued "So do you"

"Thank you" She said looking down embarrassed, trying to hide the blush that was creeping onto her cheeks

"We haven't talked in a while" He continued

"No… I know, I'm sorry but… I've been spending a lot of time in the helicarrier working on some blood samples and the smoke and even on Fenrir's physiology"

"But you used to come by more often before… you know" He saw her grimace a little at this "Is it because of Loki?" She looked up at him "Are you really trying to avoid seeing him?"

"As much as I can, yes"

"Why? I thought you…"

"Please, don't say it… I'm trying to make that feeling disappear… for my and his sake"

"Is it working?"

Emma couldn't lie to Steve. She looked deep into his eyes and shook her head sadly "No… not really… it's inexplicably getting worse"

"I'm sorry… I wish there was something I could do about it"

"Me too"

The continued to dance in silence until the realized the people had gone quiet and that the music had stopped.  
As they parted and looked around them, they saw the cause of the whole commotion: an uninvited guest had arrived.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNN! (any guesses on who the mystery guest might be? yeah, we all know who it is, don't we? LOL).**

**My darlings, I hope you continue to like my story and that you continue to review, remember I need my daily dose ;)**

**See you soooooooon! Lots of love!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	19. 18 And I'm Not Drunk Yet

**Good day, my darlings :)**

**I am very happy to inform you that I have been feeling a lot better lately and that my writer's block seems to have disappeared (I'm assuming that after writing 3 chapters last night LOL) and I owe it all to you, my amazing readers and reviewers... you make me happy.**

**Ophelia Nation, outthere101, SteveandSienna, donnabella2k7, gallowsCalibrator92, Sue Doe Nyhm, technicolortucan and jgal747, thank you all so much for your support! MWAH!**

**Ok, so... this chapter is very revealing so... hold on to something because you might fall off your chair LOL.**

**Today's song has got to be Every Time We Say Goodbye by Ella Fitzgerald for obvious "dancing" reasons besides, if you listen closely to the lyrics you'll understand why this song fits so perfectly into this chapter.**

**Oh and one warning, especially to all of you who aren't very keen of the characters as OOCs, I am not either but sometimes it is needed and there's a bit of fluff in this chapter so yeah, you might actually like it because it's romantic and blah blah blah (I mean, what girl doesn't like romance, right?) but yeah... I'm just babbling hoping you like it LOL. I'm just gonna shut up now ^_^.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – AND I'M NOT DRUNK YET**

The entire hall had gone eerily silent as the man dressed up in a black tuxedo, white dress shirt and black thin tie walked down the set of stairs at the entrance of the room.  
Even the musicians had interrupted their job at the sight of the man.  
Many of the people present didn't know who he was but many others did, remembering everything he had done a few months prior.

"Why is he here?" Emma could hear someone mumble

"Who does he think he is, showing himself after all he's done?" Some other people said

Most of who continued to whisper things about the man were without a doubt S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who knew this man.

"Loki" Emma muttered "I thought Tony hadn't invited him"

"He didn't" Steve replied and Emma glanced up at him for a moment before looking back at the god of mischief who was making his way through the crowd with a calm expression, trying to ignore the comments

"Get out!" Suddenly a man shouted

"Call security!" Another one agreed

"How dare you coming here?"

"You are not welcome!"

Emma looked around the room and saw the tension in everybody's faces but the one who looked the worst was Thor. He looked as if he was ready to kill all of those who were wronging his brother. Clint and Bruce were making an incredible effort trying to hold him back.  
Looking back at Loki, she realized that his stance had changed. He actually looked hurt and upset. He had stopped walking and just stood there in the middle of the huge room looking around quite uncomfortable. Then, someone in the crowd shouted: "Who invited him?"

That was enough for Emma. She wouldn't take any of this any longer.  
Leaving Steve's side, she made her way through the gathered people and said "I did!" Every single eye in the hall now turned to her and watched her in shock as she walked towards the aggravated god of mischief "I invited him"

She stopped in front of Loki and stretched out her hand to him. Shifting his eyes between her face and her hand, he finally gave her a soft smile and took her hand.

Someone was about to object but Tony's voice surpassed the protest "Mr. Laufeyson is my and Ms. Jansen's guest so, why don't we resume this party and return to our civil manners, huh?" He proposed and after a few seconds of scattered murmurs, the activity returned to its original festive state

"Thank you, Tony" Emma said still holding Loki's hand

"Don't mention it, Em. I expect your utmost best behavior, Bullwinkle"

"Promised, Mr. Stark" Loki replied with a nod

"Ok… well, let's just… have fun, ok?" Tony said slightly flustered as he made his way back to the other Avengers

"Come on" Emma told Loki leading him to the other side of the hall

As the two of them walked by the Avengers, Thor nodded at Emma as a sign of appreciation for what she had done for his brother and she nodded back.  
Emma suddenly stopped, seeing Steve a few feet away from them.

"Give me a minute, ok?" She told Loki and he nodded, releasing her hand. Stopping in front of Steve she fidgeted with the sleeve of her dress "Steve, I…"

"Don't say it. I understand" He answered and then leaned down to kiss her cheek "Go. He's waiting for you"

Smiling at him she nodded and then walked back to Loki as Steve watched her with somber resignation.

"That was very noble of you, Rogers" Thor said walking up to him "I know you did not do this for Loki but I cannot thank you enough"

Steve turned back at Thor with a frustrated look on his face "You are right. I didn't do it for Loki. I did it for Emma… I would do anything for her" He began to walk away but stopped for a second "And I expect Loki to do anything for her"

The entire team witnessed this and saw Steve walk to the bar and stay there for most of the night.

* * *

Emma and Loki were standing next to the window, far from everyone's eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She suddenly asked him

"I thought you said you had invited me" He replied cleverly

"Don't play games with me, Mr. Smart-Ass" She said sternly "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see you"

"Why do you always say that whenever I ask you that?"

"Because it is the truth…"

"The truth…" Emma echoed scoffing bitterly "Have you ever spoken with the truth?"

"I have not lied to you, if that is what you are asking"

"That's not what I was asking but I suppose it'll have to do… Loki, you know people in Midgard don't like you…"

"I know and they made it astoundingly clear as soon as they saw me" Loki said with a trail of sadness in his voice

"You have no one to blame for that but yourself"

"I am aware of it but I do not expect them to like me. I do not need that"

"Oh, really? Then why did you look so upset when they started to shout at you?" Loki was taken by surprise with her question and he had to admit she was right. He hated feeling rejected and alone. That was what had triggered everything that had gone wrong in his life. Emma noticed the change in his expression and felt awfully bad "Loki, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"No… you are right. You are absolutely right, Emma" He gave his back at her and took a few steps away

Not being able to hold herself back, Emma caught up with him and placed her hand on his shoulder, wanting him to turn around. When he did, he saw that she was smiling sweetly at him.

"Thank you" Loki suddenly said taking her hands in his "For standing up for me" She didn't answer as he leaned down and kissed her hands

"Don't thank me… it's the least I could do after ignoring you these past few weeks" She replied blushing "Besides… I'm glad you are here"

"I am glad too" He told her and then surprised her with his next comment "You look beautiful"

"Oh…" Emma giggled nervously and instinctively began straightening her already straight dress "Thank you"

"How did you know green is my favorite color?"

"I… I didn't… I didn't know, to be honest" She saw him smile wider and she narrowed her eyes "I didn't, did I?" He only shrugged as he held her hand. For a moment, the only thing they did was to stare at each other but then Emma heard a song beginning to play and a very silly and corny thought came to her mind, especially while dealing with Loki "Uhmm… Loki… do you… would you… you know…" He tilted his head to the side not understanding "Argh… this is so embarrassing…" She lamented and glanced over at the dance floor

"Ah…" Loki grasped the idea "You mean to ask me for a dance?"

"When you say it like that sounds so horrible" She covered her face in shame but he reached out and removed them

"I believe I asked you never to cover your face again"

"Sorry" She whispered

"And I would love to dance with you, Emma"

This made Emma grin like an idiot but the best thing was that Loki was also grinning like an idiot.

He took her hand and led her to the dance floor, holding her hand up and surrounding her waist with his other arm, placing his hand on the small of her back while she rested her hand on his shoulder, near his neck where she reached out and began playing with a lock of his hair as they slowly and rhythmically swayed to the soft music.

* * *

"Hey, Steve" Bruce said patting his friend in the back and sitting down on the stool next to him "How many drinks have you had so far?" He asked noticing the look on the captain's face

"I lost count after the 20th" Steve replied

"And you're not drunk yet"

"And I'm not drunk yet" He repeated never taking his eyes off one of the couples dancing. Bruce followed his gaze and understood

"It was very noble of you…"

"Yeah, I know… Thor already gave me that speech"

"I bet he did… Steve, I know that nothing I can say will make you feel better but…"

"Look at her" Steve cut him off "I don't think I had ever seen her this happy"

As Bruce focused his eyes on Emma dancing with Loki he couldn't deny what Steve had just said. It was as if Emma was glowing.

"I'm sorry, Steve… I know you are in love with her… it is not easy, I know how you are feeling"

"Then have a drink with me, Dr. Banner" Steve suggested and Bruce nodded in agreement

* * *

At the other side of the dance floor, Clint held Adrianna very close to him as they danced as well.

"This brings back some memories" He commented "The night of the ball in Oslo, you remember?"

"How could I forget? And you still have the moves" She joked

"Well, archery is not my only talent"

"Oh, I know that, agent Barton" The both smile at the remark "I have the feeling that you're flirting with me"

"Aren't I always?"

"I'm serious, Clint"

"So am I" Adrianna gave him a reprovingly look "What do you want me to say, Nan? I have always been in love with you, that's no secret… and having you here, with me…"

"You know I will not stay" She told him

"I'm hoping you might change your mind"

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Clint leaned forward and whispered a few lines into Adrianna's ear; some of them made her laugh and some others brought a blush to her cheeks "You're such a pervert, Clint"

"Proudly" He said with a smile "Don't leave, Adrianna… not again…"

Closing the distance between then, Clint was finally able to kiss Adrianna. He had been longing to be able to do it again since he had seen her again and, even when she wouldn't admit it, she was also yearning for this moment.

* * *

The guards and agents who had been chosen to stay at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Tower sat in front of the many screens in their offices watching over Fenrir, their most dangerous prisoner.

The agents saw director Fury walking down the corridor which led to Fenrir's cell.  
After passing the identity request, Fury stopped in front of the steel door, opening the small hatch.

"Evening, Fenrir" Fury said

"It took you a long time to pay me a visit, one-eyed man… I know you are the leader of this army… I am surprised you did not come sooner" The man-beast taunted

"I have much more important business to attend"

"Then why have you come today? Ah, yes… perhaps because this building is almost empty tonight…" Fury furrowed his brow at this "I can hear the silence in the upper levels, colonel" Fenrir slyly smirked and approached to Fury "What do you want?"

"Information"

"About the Overmaster, right?" Fury remained silent "Well, if you are so interested in him… why don't you ask him yourself?" Fenrir then began laughing like a madman

At first, Fury looked at Fenrir as if he had simply lost his mind but then the entire structure of the building started shaking, as if an earthquake would be taking place only that it wasn't an earthquake. It was something else.  
In the next seconds, the ceilings began collapsing and the walls tumbling down; of course that meant only one thing.

As Fury turned to the cell where Fenrir was being kept he realized that the door had been opened and that Fenrir was standing in front of him with an arrogant smirk on his face.

"Are you scared, human?" He asked Fury

"Not really" Fury defied, pulling his gun out and starting shooting at the mythological creature who threatened him but it was useless. Bullets couldn't hurt Fenrir

"Pathetic" Fenrir snarled grabbing Fury by the neck and lifting him off the ground with astounding ease "The Overmaster wants to know something"

"And what might that be?" Fury managed to ask

"Where is the Tesseract?" An unknown voice asked in Fenrir's stead. Fury looked around trying to find the source of the voice and when he turned his head to the right a pair of glowing electric red eyes were staring back into his brown ones "Where do you keep the Tesseract, human?"

"What makes you think I will tell you?" Fury continued to stall

And for a moment it seemed as if it had worked because about a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents rampaged the corridor and started shooting at the hostiles but, as Fury had observed prior, these creatures could not be handled with bullets.  
The Overmaster turned his attention to the puny agents and throwing a yellow colored energy blast turned the agents into stone.

"This is just a taste of my true power, human… tell me where the Tesseract is and I will let you join me… I might keep you as a pet…" The so-called Titan offered almost as a joke

"Never" Fury muttered behind gritted teeth

"Suit yourself. I will find it myself" The Overmaster said and started walking down the corridor "Oh, and Fenrir…" He paused and looked back at Fury with a cocky smile "Get rid of him"

Fenrir bared his teeth in delight and punched Fury in the face repeatedly and then, threw him into the cell he had been in. The wolf-man didn't even bother in checking if the colonel was alive when he practically barked and walked away thinking the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. dead.

Fenrir caught up with the Overmaster as the latter practically fried another team of agents.

"Find out where Loki and the Avengers are right now, Fenrir"

"Yes, sir" Fenrir lowered his head as sign of respect

But before the beast could walk away, the Titan grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and slammed him against the nearest wall "Do not fail me this time, Fenrir or you will suffer the same fate I have prepared for Loki"

Trembling in fear, Fenrir nodded hastily and once the Overmaster had released him, ran away to recollect the requested information.

In minutes, the Overmaster's hordes of strange looking creatures with green skin and an almost reptile appearance with dark purple armors (the same color as the Overmaster's skin) overran the facility, wreaking havoc wherever they went, trashing the offices, destroying the laboratories, invading the arsenal and equipment rooms; destroying everything.

The Overmaster paced around the mangled place, killing any human who crossed his way and after some time he went to the upper levels following the signature trace Odin's Cosmic Cube emitted.

And then, in one of the highly secured chambers, he found it.  
Entering and breaching every security measure, the Overmaster made his way to the glass cylinder which contained Odin's most precious treasure, his red eyes glowing even more than before with greed and satisfaction.

Carefully and admiring the object before him, he took the glad canister and lifted it feeling its power starting to run through his veins.

"Overmaster" Fenrir said rushing into the room "The Avengers"

"Have you found them?" The Titan asked without taking his eyes off the Tesseract

"Yes, my lord… and Loki is with them"

A wicked smile spread across his vivid purple face and he said "Perfect"

* * *

After the song had come to an end, Loki had taken Emma's hand and had led her to the terrace where no one could bother them.  
He wanted to speak to her in private; to tell her something he had been longing to tell her.

They stood there by the metal rail, Emma leaning against it with her elbows, resting her face on her hands and looking up at the sky while Loki was facing her, watching her intently.

"Is Asgard very far from here?" She suddenly asked

"I believe so" He answered "Do you remember any of it?"

Emma shook her head "No… I really don't remember anything, to be honest…"

"Not even me?"

This made her turn to him "No, not exactly… I mean, when I first met you I knew I had seen you before, apart from the last time you were here… it's like what you said once… as if we already knew each other…"

"Emma… I have been meaning to tell you something" He started and it was obvious he was nervous

Noticing it, Emma straightened up and stood before him "What is it?"

"That time… when I told you that I loved you…"

"I know. I know you meant to say you are in love with Eira… and I should respect that…" He interrupted her

"Will you ever let me finish saying what I want to say?"

"Sorry…" She said looking down and Loki couldn't help to chuckle by this

"Emma, what I want to say is… that, what I said that time… it was not a lie and it was not meant for Eira" Loki continued and Emma furrowed her brow in confusion "I was in love with Eira, that is true but somehow you have put me under a spell… a spell I am not sure I want to be freed from"

"What are you trying to tell me?" She asked looking up at him

"I love you, Emma… you, not Eira or whatever part of her you hold within you… you made me fall inexplicably and madly in love with you" Loki confessed

"Are you sure? Because I am nothing but an insignificant human" Emma pointed out

Loki gave her a toothless smile and took her hands in his once more "There is nothing insignificant about you, healer… I am but an insect whenever you are close"

"Don't, please…" She hurried to shush him, reaching out to touch his cheek

"Emma…"

"Say it again, please…" He smiled even wider at her words

"I love you, Emma" As he said this, he opened his fist, revealing Eira's ring "I believe you have something that belongs to me" With a nod, Emma searched through her purse and pulled out Loki's ring "You brought it with you"

"I always have it with me"

Loki reached out and passed his hand over the ring in Emma's hand "Read the inscription" He told her and she did

Her jaw dropped open as she did so; Eira was no longer the word carved into the precious metal but her own "Emma" She read out loud

"Emma" He repeated and then slid the smallest of the rings on her left ring finger. With a smile, she took the largest ring and also put it on his left ring finger

She couldn't help to smile widely and even giggle a little "Loki, do you remember, a couple of weeks ago, when you… kissed me?" He nodded "Remember I told you not to do it again?" He nodded again "And then you told me the next time you'd kiss me would be because I asked you to do it?"

"Yes"

"Loki… kiss me"

He didn't need to hear it twice. Tenderly he leaned forward, surrounding her waist with his arms, pulling her to him and pressing his lips against hers and for the very first time, Emma didn't fight it; she gave into the kiss surrendering herself to her very own god of mischief.

But their happiness would be short-lived.  
Breaking their moment, the sound of men and women screaming hysterically in panic made them part their kiss.  
Glass breaking, furniture smashing could also be heard so, after sharing quizzical looks they ran back inside only to find the hall wrapped in utter chaos.

They saw a group of strange looking creatures terrorizing the guests using some sort of alien weapons and shooting purple energy rays which seemed to paralyze whoever they reached.

"Down!" Loki suddenly yelled pulling Emma downwards to the floor, avoiding one of the rays and protecting her "Are you alright?" She nodded and then, with his help, stood up and ran to where the others were "Thor!" Loki called

"Loki, Emma!" Thor replied as he fought one of the reptiloid beings off

"What's happening? What are these things?" Emma asked punching one of them in the face

"I do not know" The god of thunder replied

"Why are they here?" Loki questioned also fighting against one of them

"I would love to answer your question, Loki Odinson" A voice said

Loki widened his eyes in pure terror as he recognized the voice "No…" He gasped and turned around to face no other than the Overmaster "Thanos…"

* * *

**In the name of everything holy... we know who the Overmaster and our main villain is! Please, whoever comments, tell me if you were actually expecting it or if you had thought aboout it or if you had suspicions or if you were completely oblivious to it LOL. I'd love to know!**

**Anywhooooo... I might, just might post tomorrow... but if I do it might be late into the night... seeing as I am almost done writing this story... only a few chapters left for me to write and about 12 or 13 for you to read ;).**

**So, thanks yet again and I'll be seeing you very soon! Lots of love!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	20. 19 Who's The Bruised Up Guy?

**Guess what? I'm posting! Yay!  
I've had a very long, exhausting weekend that resulted in very prominent bags under my eyes due to the lack of sleep and due to a horrible moment in which I thought I had lost my cats... it was awful, I tell you.  
But, nothing happened, thank God and I'm here LOL.**

**So, sassymagpie, donnabella2k7, outthere101, jgal747, technicolortucan, catwoman90808, KiyUzumaki, Steph the bat 11, Jen Lennon and RunningQueenx5, thank you so very very much and I think you ought to know that this is by far, the largest chapter I've written for this story so... yeah... I'm trying to make amends, what can I say? LOL**

**The song of the day is: Am I Not Human? by Two Steps From Hell... please, listen to it while you're reading this chapter... I think it fits way too well LOL.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER NINETEEN – WHO'S THE BRUISED UP GUY?**

"Thanos?" Emma repeated following Loki's gaze

She felt terrified by the appearance of the alien creature that stood before them.  
He was tall, standing at about 6'7" with strong built, even stronger than Thor's or Steve's combined. His skin was dark purple; his eyes small, almost squinted, red glowing orbs. He sported an electric blue and golden sort of armor and a helmet of the same material and color covering a bald head.  
His smile was wide and full of maliciousness and those red eyes continued to stare at Loki with a mixture of amusement and menace.

"So nice of you to remember me, Loki. I thought you had forgotten all about us… about me" Thanos said as he started to make his way towards them while his creatures kept the guests at bay

"Whoa, who's the bruised up guy?" Tony asked as he rushed to where Thor, Emma and Loki were, followed by the rest of the Avengers

"Oh… and the Avengers… I have been longing to meet you" His red eyes wandered over the faces of the nine people before him "You who defied the power of the Chitauri… who defeated my army… well, one of many, of course…"

"Who are you?" Thor questioned

"My name is Thanos, the Overmaster" He introduced himself gallantly

"So you are the Overmaster" Natasha said

"I see you have heard from me… from Fenrir, no doubt for I am sure your friend, the Jöttun has not spoken about me, has he?"

Emma eyed Loki for a split second before returning her attention to Thanos as Steve asked "Why are you here?"

"I have come seeking for what is by right mine. Not long ago I made a deal with someone. He did not deliver his promise. He has a debt with me and I have come to collect this… debt" Thanos vaguely explained never taking his eyes off Loki

"What sort of debt?" Emma inquired

"A life debt" He replied finally lying his eyes on Emma "So this is her, is it not, Loki?" Loki gulped at this but said nothing "Fantastic… this will be much more fun than I had thought"

"I don't think so" Tony suddenly said while pressing one hidden button in his watch. Suddenly, one of his encased suits shot through the window and automatically rigged up on him "Just try… I dare you"

"Ah, the Man of Iron… you are the one who destroyed the Chitauri's base… it will be such fun to destroy all of you, one by one…" Thanos threatened "But do not worry, Loki… I have saved the best for you"

Natasha pulled out a couple of guns out of underneath her skirt (Tony gave her an 'I don't wanna know' look) while Clint took a gun of his own out of his jacket.  
Steve removed his jacket and his tie and prepared to fight as Thor did the same and extended his arm, summoning Mjolnir which after a few seconds found its way to its master's hand.  
Bruce suddenly hulked up, tearing his suit apart and Loki and Emma prepared to fight as Iron Man elevated from the ground.

Feeling arrogant, Iron Man shot a missile at Thanos but the latter was unphased by it. He didn't even flinch as the fire weapon collided against his chest.

"Uh-oh…" Tony muttered and suddenly, with a red colored blast, Thanos sent him flying to the other side of the hall

"And that is only the beginning" The Titan pointed out

Thor then realized something "Loki… Loki, look at his right hand"

As Loki did so he also noticed what Thor had. Thanos was wearing a gold sort of glove with five gems imbibed in the knuckles and an empty slot for a sixth gem.

"The Infinity Gauntlet" Loki muttered widening his eyes

"Oh, you recognize this? It's an old thing, really… something that Odin took from me a long time ago" Thanos told them admiring the artifact

"How did you come by it?" Thor interrogated tightening his grip around Mjolnir's handle

"A friend of mine retrieved it for me. Luckily for me, Odin practically sent the missing gem just for me…"

"What are you all talking about?" Clint asked frustrated

"Thor, Loki, what is going on?" Steve continued

"Without the sixth gem it is virtually useless, Thanos. You have no chance against us" Thor dared

"But I know that, god of thunder… why do you think I sent Fenrir to Midgard in the first place?"

"Fenrir is locked up. He's of no use to you now" Steve told him

"Oh, Fenrir…" Thanos said, still smiling and with a sing-song tone

Suddenly, Fenrir walked into the room holding something in his hands: the Tesseract.  
Understanding hit Loki like a blow to the head. That had been his plan all along.

"Thor, with the Tesseract inserted in the Gauntlet, Thanos will be invincible" Loki muttered

"What are you talking about?" They heard Tony ask as he joined them once more, a little more mangled than before but still alive and kicking "How did you get out of your cell?" He asked Fenrir

"Magic" The wolf-man mocked

"It is a very long story and I really do not have the time to narrate it all so… why don't you do us all a favor and die?" Thanos suddenly pointed the Gauntlet at the Avengers and shot another red colored blast

It was too fast for them dodged it but before it could hit any of them, the Hulk had jumped up in front of them and received the entire blast, protecting the others.  
The usually invincible Hulk was left weak and almost unconscious after the hit, much to his teammates shock.  
Steve and Thor ran to his help, supporting the enormous green beast's weight on their shoulders.

"Argh… you and your stupid sacrifice… how pathetic" Fenrir spat at them

"Give me the Tesseract, Fenrir" Thanos ordered and Fenrir obeyed

Breaking the crystal canister, Thanos took the Cosmic Cube in his hand and began squeezing it tightly.

"What are you doing? You'll get us all killed, you included!" Adrianna shouted

Thanos ignored what she had said and continued pressing his hand tightly around the cube.

"We must stop him" Loki said and then looked over at Adrianna "Elemental"

Adrianna, understanding created a column of fire and directed it straight at Thanos, shooting it, trying to halt him.  
But the fire was stopped by the waves of energy emitted by the Tesseract.

"How…?" Adrianna started

"It is too late" Thanos smirked as he saw that his strength was working

The Tesseract began cracking, seemingly breaking until it happened. The Cube was reduced to pieces of different sizes but only one mattered to Thanos. He took it and placed it very carefully placed it into the empty slot in the Gauntlet and then it was as if had been welded into the metal. It fit to perfection.

"The Mind Gem" He mumbled in admiration "Now you will witness the true power of Thanos the Eternal!" Thanos exclaimed followed by a terrifying laugh as the Gauntlet in his hand started to glow

"Damn" Loki muttered

"You will all kneel before me and everything you know will disappear" The Titan told them as he returned his gaze to them "Witness, Avengers and grief the end of your world"

"JARVIS, get a reading of that thing" Tony commanded his artificial intelligence device

Raising his gloved hand up in the air, the once Tesseract now called Mind Gem glowed brighter than any other of the precious stones in the Gauntlet and suddenly a wave of energy started to practically fog out of it.

"Pepper!" Tony shouted as he saw her among the restrained crowd and tried to reach for her but it was too late. The energy wave had reached her and all those around her

As it started to crawl its way to the team, Emma extended her hands forward and created a large force field. The energy dome was big enough to protect the entire team but the rest of the people in the hall had succumbed to it, falling to the ground unconscious.

Thanos realized of it and lowered his hand, ending with the wave "An energy manipulator… very impressive" His eyes fixed on Emma who stared back defiantly "Fine. It will be much more fun this way"

Emma lowered her hands as well, ending with the protection and then they all looked around them.  
The guests of the party were not dead; they had started standing up but there was something odd about them.

"Guys… look at their eyes" Natasha pointed out

But Tony didn't listen. He rushed to Pepper, removing his helmet and grabbing her upper arms, checking if she was alright "Pepper, I'm sorry, I tried to…" All of a sudden, Pepper had her hands around Tony's throat, trying to choke him "Pepper, what are you doing?"

"Stark, look at her eyes!" Adrianna shouted at him and he did so

Pepper's eyes, just like all the others had turned into an electric glowing shade of blue and of course, their look was void, as if hypnotized.

"Pepper…" Tony mumbled with sadness and then flew away from her, back to the group, to confront Thanos "What have you done to her? To all of them?" Iron Man demanded

"I have altered the reality in their minds, Man of Iron" Thanos replied with pride "I am no longer the enemy…" He paused and smiled wickedly "You are"

The team's eyes opened wide in shock at this and looked around them only to find themselves surrounded by the guests which included many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents; trained and experienced S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

"Guys…" Clint started as they all backed away from the enraged mob of mind controlled men and women "Any ideas?"

"We can't attack them. They are innocent people" Steve said

"Kill them" Thanos commanded to both his hoards of reptilian-humanoids and his human puppets

"My lord… what you promised me" Fenrir reminded him

"Yes, Fenrir… the energy manipulator is all yours… but Loki is mine"

Fenrir bared his beastly teeth in a grin and turned his attention to a distracted Emma.  
The wolf-man shape-shifted into his animal form and charged against her, knocking her down to the ground, catching her completely off guard.

"Emma!" Loki and Steve shouted as many of the entranced guests and the reptiloids launched against them

With a graze in her upper arm, Emma jumped to her feet ready to face Fenrir who approached to her with a delighted look on his face.

"I am going to rip you apart, Eira and I am going to enjoy every second of it" He snarled

Losing her patience, Emma gathered all the possible energy around her and shot him one of her energy projections, heavily stunning him.

"My name is not Eira!" She shouted at him and continued to fight him while the others attacked the reptilians and avoided the guests

But it seemed impossible. The agents continued to make it very difficult for the Avengers not to hurt them.  
At one point, and while trying to make his way to Emma, Loki ended up grabbing one of the agents by the neck and throwing him off against a wall.

"Loki, don't! They are innocents! They have nothing to do with this" Steve yelled

"They are our enemies now, Rogers. Perhaps it is time you realized that" He responded and did the same thing to a second agent

Steve looked to his side and saw that the Hulk had recovered a little and was standing beside him "Puny god right"

With a sigh of defeat, Steve nodded and then turned around to punch one of the guests straight in the face.  
The others, seeing this, mimicked their leader and started defending themselves from the spellbound people that continued to attack them.

Meanwhile, as Loki rushed to Emma's side, Thanos got in his way, stopping him.

"We have unfinished business, Jöttun" The Titan said

"You have what you wanted, Thanos. Leave this planet and take the Tesseract with you" Loki replied

"Are you trying to bargain with me, Loki? Tsk, tsk…" Thanos shook his head and chuckled "It is not that simple… you see; it was not just the Tesseract that I wanted…" In the blink of an eye he was standing a few inches away from Loki "I covet the whole universe, son of Odin"

Out of nowhere, Thanos pulled out a dagger and thrust the blade into Loki's abdomen. Eyes wide in perplexity and in a lot of pain, Loki fell to his knees at Thanos' feet.  
The Titan then grabbed a handful of Loki's black hair and made him look up at Emma who continued to fight with Fenrir.

"Get a good look at your beloved, Loki" Thanos hissed into his ear as a tear rolled down Loki's face "Mark my words: she will die and it will not be by Fenrir's hand but by your own…" Loki groaned in pain and trying to get free

Before Thanos could say anything else, the Titan was attacked in the back by Thor who stroke him with the might of Mjolnir, making Thanos release Loki.  
The latter fell to the ground, covering his wound with his hand and trying to get up.

"Brother!" Thor called, rushing to his side, helping him up "Are you…?"

"I am well. We need to get Emma out of here" Loki breathed heavily because of the laceration in his torso

"Loki, you are…" Thor continued noticing the blood in Loki's wound

"I said I am fine. Get the others. I am getting us all out of here"

With a nod, Thor made his way to where the rest of the Avengers were and gathered them while Loki ran to where Emma was still brawling against Fenrir.

"Fenrir!" Loki called getting the wolf's attention

"I will be with you in a second, Loki. Let me just finish your bride off" He mocked but by the time he had turned to Emma, she was holding a piece of scrap metal

Not giving him time to react, she thrust it all the way from his chest and into his body, destroying every vital organ in the way.

Fenrir's eyes rolled up and he fell to the ground, defeated; dead.  
Panting because of the effort, Emma looked over at Loki and noticed the wound.  
She ran to his side and got there just in time to catch him as he fell from the exertion.

"No… Loki" She whispered taking his hand off his wound and realizing how bad it was "Oh, God…"

"I am well…" He managed to say, squeezing her hand "I am a god, remember?"

"Loki, you are bleeding a lot" Emma told him

"It is all right. I am not going to die. I promise" Loki reassured her with a weak smile

Emma lifted his hand and pressed it against her cheek, not caring if it stained her skin with his blood.

"Emma!" Steve called as he and the others ran to where they were "What happened?"

She looked up and realized that Clint had also been wounded. He had a deep gash in his leg and limped his way with the help of Tony and Thor as Adrianna and Natasha, with the help of the Hulk continued to fence some of the hostiles off.

"Loki" Thor called his brother who, as weak as he felt nodded

"Wait!" Adrianna said and grabbed one of the small pieces that were left of the Tesseract

"Do not let them escape!" Thanos' voice could be heard as Loki's magic took them away from the reception hall and away from Stark Tower

They had escaped.

* * *

The nine of them crashed onto the ground with loud thuds and complaining groans.  
Looking around, Emma saw Loki about five yards away from her, lying on the floor, his hand still covering the wound.  
She almost crawled her way to him and carefully placed his head on her lap.

"Great landing" She heard Tony comment

"Where are we?" Adrianna asked as she helped Clint sit up and lean against a nearby rock

They all looked around, taking the surroundings in.  
Loki had taken them to a forest for all they could see for miles and miles a radius were trees.

"JARVIS, where are we?" Tony asked

"Adirondack Park" JARVIS replied

"Why would he teleport us here?" Natasha questioned

"I do not know" Thor said kneeling next to his ailing brother "Loki… Loki, can you hear me?"

"Unfortunately, I can" Loki responded

"Even when in pain you jest" Thor said trying to smile

"JARVIS, can you try and make contact with someone at the Tower?" Tony questioned and after a few minutes, JARVIS got an answer

"The Tower seems to be out of service. Every part of the systems appears as blocked, sir"

"What about the helicarrier?" In seconds, JARVIS replied

"Agent Coulson is on the line, sir"

"Stark" Tony heard Coulson's voice

"JARVIS, speakerphone" Tony commanded so that the rest of the team could hear everything "Coulson, what's going on?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Stark. Where are you?"

"Somewhere in the middle of the Enchanted Forest" Tony said

"Adirondack Park" Bruce, who by this point reappeared from the woods, having hulking off, corrected

"Yes, that… we can't get a hold of the Tower. Do you have any idea what's happened there?"

"We have been trying to make contact but nothing. Stark… director Fury was in the Tower before we lost touch" Tony looked up at his teammates with a look of concern

"Fenrir escaped" Adrianna told him while tending to Clint's wound

"But Emma killed him" Steve said

Coulson remained silent for a moment "What happened at Stark Tower?"

"Some guy called Thanos barged in with Fenrir and a small army of lizard-looking creatures" Clint managed to say

"Skrulls" They heard Loki say "They are called Skrulls"

"Never heard of them" Natasha commented

"That's the least of our problems. Coulson, Thanos has the Tesseract" Steve pointed out "He shattered it to pieces. Adrianna retrieved one of them but it is not enough"

Before Coulson could say anything else, Thor spoke up "Son of Coul, there is not time for this. Loki and Barton are wounded and Banner seems unstable"

"We need an extraction" Adrianna noted

"I'll send a bird to pick you all up. I'll track the GPS in your suit, Stark so we know where to find you. Don't move from where you are" Coulson said and hung up

"What now?" Natasha asked

"We wait" Steve responded

* * *

Adrianna continued trying to clean Clint's wound quite unsuccessfully seeing that she had nothing with her but her evening gown.

"Ow…" He mumbled for the gazillienth time as Adrianna passed the fabric of the skirt of her dress over the wound

"Sorry… it's awful… I wish I could do more…" She said and then called for Bruce "Bruce! Could you check it out?"

"Sure…" Bruce walked over to where Clint sat and examined the injury "It's bad but he'll live… although it could get infected… but I'm sure the jet will be here in no time, don't worry" He reassured Adrianna and gave her a soft smile "At least he's not as bad as Loki"

"I thought he and Thor were immortals" Clint highlighted

"No, they aren't. They just have super-human endurance, strength and health, oh, and powers, of course and the combination allows them to live far longer than any normal human…" Bruce explained looking over at Thor who was still sitting next to Loki, as Emma continued to care for his wound "If I am not mistaken, both of them must be about 1050 years old"

"That's a lot" Clint said "And we thought Rogers was old" He joked and Adrianna slapped him in the arm "Ouch! What?"

"Respect your elders" She chastised and they laughed

* * *

At the same time, while Natasha explored the perimeter, Tony and Steve stood a few feet away from Emma and the Asgardian siblings, watching over them.

"Loki knows this Thanos guy" Steve said and Tony nodded "He said something about a debt…"

"Maybe, and I'm making conjectures here, but maybe this Thanos dude is the one who gave Loki the power to control the Chitauri back them, you remember?" Steve nodded "We know for a fact he made the bargain to get the Earth in exchange for the Tesseract"

"You think it's the same guy?" Steve inquired and Tony shrugged but something in his eyes told Steve that he was more than sure "And what about this glove of his? The Infinity I-Don't-Know-What"

"The Infinity Gauntlet, I heard Loki say" Tony nodded

"What does JARVIS have on that?"

"J?"

"I'm still working on it, sir. It does not appear in any known archive" JARVIS replied

"Well, then what about the unknown archives?"

"Working on it" JARVIS said

Tony the noticed the way Steve was looking at Emma "I'm sorry"

Steve turned to look at him, at first not knowing what he meant but Tony glanced at Emma for a moment and then he understood "Yeah, thanks…"

"I never thought she would choose him… I was rooting for you, Cap"

"It doesn't make any difference, right? I would never dare to force her to betray her heart… and her heart chose him" Steve wisely said

"You know… you're not the loser I thought you were" Tony complimented trying to lift up the mood

Steve scoffed and half smiled "Likewise, Mr. Stark"

* * *

"How is he?" Thor asked Emma noticing how pale Loki's complexion had turned

"I don't know… he has lost a lot of blood… I thought you were…"

"Invincible?" Loki intervened "Yes… we hear that very often, don't we, Thor?"

Thor nodded and then inquired "How do you feel?"

"Wonderful" He lied, attempting to smile but the try became a grimace of pain

"Don't talk" Emma softly said running a hand across his forehead

"Yes. I am sure you would like that, would you not?" He snapped back, making her smile but then noticed her losing it "Emma… I promised you I would not die and I intend to keep that promise"

"You better" She replied and then something in her face changed. It was as if the gears inside her head had suddenly started to move "Of course…"

"What?" Thor asked

"Why hadn't I thought about it?" She continued basically ignoring Thor

"What?"

"Thor, come here, hold his head" Emma instructed him to take her place. As he obeyed and Loki just saw them move and say nothing, Emma moved to Loki's side and took his hand "Loki… do you trust me?"

"With my life" He answered without any sign of hesitation

"Good, because that's exactly what I'm trying to save…"

Without saying anything else, she let go of Loki's hand and placed both of her hands on top of his injury. He winced at the touch but didn't complain.  
For several minutes nothing happened and Emma continued to purse her lips making a huge effort to make something happen. Anything. A miracle.  
But nothing happened.

"You tried" Loki told her

"No… don't give me that crap…" She replied

"Emma, you never practiced with your healing abilities… it is only normal" Thor tried to comfort her

"No! It must be the same… it has to be the same… I have to do it"

"Emma…" Thor intended to continue but she cut him off

"No!"

With all her frustration building up, she held on to the fabric of Loki's white, now red stained shirt, tears welling up in her eyes.  
By this point, everyone was looking at her with curiosity.

Suddenly, Loki started blinking as if trying to believe in something unbelievable and then he brought his hand to his side, over Emma's hand which continued to cover the wound.

"Emma…" He started and saw her shaking her head "Emma, let go"

"What? Why?" She asked and looked up at his face

"Just… let go"

Doing as he said, Emma uncovered the wound and saw Loki's hand looking for the wound.

"Is it… gone?" Tony asked behind them

"What?" Emma questioned not understanding

"The wound… no, it is not gone… but it is only a superficial injury…" Loki explained and then sat up, facing Emma "You did it"

"I did it?"

"Yes" Thor smiled at her

"But I didn't heal it completely…"

"No but you stopped the bleeding and made it definitely smaller" Bruce added as he kneeled next to Loki and checked on his wound "Yep… definitely smaller… not like threatening"

"You did it…" Loki repeated reaching out to run a thumb over her blood and tear stained cheek

She smiled at him and then turned to Clint. Nodding at the others, she rushed to where Clint sat and placed her hands over the long, deep gash in his thigh.

"Ok, who's gonna piss her off this time?" Tony joked making them all laugh "'Cause apparently that's how it works, right?"

Emma stuck her tongue out at him and then concentrated on Clint's wound.  
In a matter of seconds, the wound became smaller and better looking. She had done it without having to push herself that much.

"And I didn't faint" She grinned at them, making them smile

"Thanks, Em" Clint told her, standing up, still leaning on a tree trunk for support

She shook her head and walked back to where Loki was "Can you stand up?" He nodded and with Thor's aid, he did so

A loud engine sound made them look up and realized that the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet Coulson had sent had arrived.

"Finally!" Tony exclaimed walking to the back hatch of the quinjet "What took you so long?" But before Tony or anyone else could get into the flying vehicle, the seven agents that were inside of it pointed their guns at them, ready to shoot "Whoa… what the hell?"

Emma then noticed the agents' eyes "Guys… their eyes…"

They were indeed odd. Just like the hexed people at the gala.

"Everybody down!" Steve shouted as the agents started shooting at will against S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prime team "Stark!"

"On it" Tony replied and then shot one of his repulsive rays at one of the agents

Adrianna helped him opening a deep trench in the earth and hitting one of the agents with the rocks that flew, sending the agent into the abyss she had created.

Thor threw Mjolnir at one of them, effectively knocking him out while Steve tackled another and unarmed him, knocking him out.  
Natasha rushed forward, making a flying kick and leaving the agent unconscious while Bruce just punched another of them.

Emma meant to help but was supporting Loki and being helpless at the moment, the other agent charged against them, ready to shoot but suddenly, the man's head made a strange sound and then fell forward revealing an ill-treated Coulson.

Loki and Emma just stared at him as he held a thick crow bar in his hands, showcasing the weapon he had used to defend them.

"Phil, what happened?" Emma asked

"There's no time. I'll tell you on the way. Come on" He replied and after the Avengers had made sure all the spellbound agents were out, they got into the jet and flew away.

* * *

**Super extra long! Woohoo!**  
**Seriously, what's wrong with this Thanos guy? What's his problem?**

**Anywhooooooooooooo... I'm off to continue writing the last 2 or 3 chapters of this story... dun dun duuuuuuuunnnnnnnnn... MWAHAHAHAHA!**  
**Thank you so much, yet again and don't forget to review... happy they make me ;)**  
**Lots of love!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	21. 20 Highly Dangerous Hostile Wanted

**Good evening, my charming, incredible, beautiful readers!  
Here we go: Jen Lennon, outthere101, jgal747, dragonrain618, Steph the bat 11, Alissiel, donnabella2k7, StepiLady, LauDuJardin and technicolortucan, thank you all so very very much... you don't know how much I love you! MWAH!  
And referring to one comment in particular (Steph the bat 11), this story is only halfway through; I'm already writing the last chapters so I can start working on my next project (do I smell a sequel?) as soon as I finish this so, do not fret, my friend... there's still a lot more to come ;) But thank you so much for the interest ;)**

**Ok, the song of the day is... Fallen by Sarah McLachlan**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY – HIGHLY DANGEROUS HOSTILE WANTED**

Thanos walked around the now empty hall at the top of Stark Tower.  
His army of Skrulls had taken those pathetic humans away and he was left alone in the large ballroom.

He made his way over to Fenrir's corpse and stared down at him with disdain "I hold the power to bring you back, beast…" He began "But I hold not the desire to do so" Kicking the wolf's paw dismissively he continued "You were useful… just like he promised you would be… you made them bring the Tesseract to this poignant world and now the Gauntlet is complete… you are of no use to me now, Fenrir"

Extending his arm at the dead animal, Thanos pointed the metallic, gem imbibed glove at it and after shooting an orange ray Fenrir's body turned into dust and disappeared after being dragged away by the wind.

"My lord" One of the agents he had hypnotized called respectfully

"What?"

"Agent Coulson… Colonel Fury's right hand… he… he escaped after we attacked the helicarrier"

Thanos turned to the agent and stared at him with irritation "Where is this… Coulson now?"

"We don't know. He took one of the jets, tricking our agents, making them believe he had also joined your noble cause and then, after getting rid of them, disappeared from the grid. He must've disabled the tracking system in the jet" The agent explained

"Have your friends from the flying fortress joined us yet?" The agent nodded "All of them?"

"Yes, sir. As soon as the Skrulls got there with the shards of the Tesseract your magic convinced them"

"Good" Thanos started walking to the door "I want to see this… helicarrier"

* * *

"You mean to say all of them turned against you?" Adrianna repeated what Coulson had just told them while Clint and Natasha piloted the quinjet

They had been up in the air for almost an hour trying to decide what to do next.  
Coulson had let them know that right after talking with them, a group of Thanos' creatures, which they now recognized as Skrulls, thanks to Loki, had arrived and with several shards of the Tesseract had done something to everyone in the helicarrier.

"It was as if their souls had been pulled out of their bodies… their eyes turned blue and empty" Coulson narrated

"Just like Pepper's" Tony said with a serious tone

"Just like everybody" Natasha suddenly said from the cockpit

"You're gonna want to watch this" Clint added as he turned the screens on and showed them several videos

The videos were mainly of news shows. At first the anchors and reporters seemed to be broadcasting the chaos that had started to occur after the Avengers had left Stark Tower.  
Thousands of Skrulls, Fenrir's demonic wolves and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents wreaked havoc all across the city and then they could see that several of this Skrulls had small shards of the Tesseract and with them, they seemed to be washing the people's brains and turned them into what they had witnessed at the gala.

"They are turning everybody in Thanos' zombie monkeys…" Tony commented

"There's more" Natasha said and they continued to watch the screens

In a matter of minutes, the reporters who had been saying bad things about the Skrulls were now turned into Thanos' zombies and did nothing but exalt Thanos' glory.

"They are using the shards to brain wash everyone in New York?" Bruce asked

"Not only New York… the entire world" Coulson replied as everyone stared at him in panic "There's one more thing" He typed a few things and then S.H.I.E.L.D.'s file photos of the nine members of the team appeared before them but with a small difference

"Highly Dangerous Hostile Wanted?" Steve read out loud

"Hey! I might be highly wanted but I am definitely not dangerous or hostile!" Tony exclaimed outraged

"Stark, this is serious" Steve said

"Don't you think I know that, Starry Pants?"

"Rogers, Stark… a quarrel amongst us is the last thing we need right now" Thor intervened and shut them up

"Thor is right. Every soul in this planet thinks us enemies and considers Thanos as their new God" Adrianna said

"How did you manage to get free, by the way?" Tony asked Coulson

"I pretended to be one of them" Everyone gave him puzzled looks and he continued "They don't seem to notice the difference in the eyes, they just react as machines. Whatever it is that Thanos is doing to them with the shards destroys their perception and their emotions. They don't even see the differences with other people… so, when I realized, I pretended to be like them. I told them where we could find you so I got on the jet with them…"

"Why were you so beat up, then?" Emma inquired

"Because agent Hill, who is under the hex, realized I had gotten into the jet when I shouldn't have to and alerted the team of agents through the radio. They tried to kill me but I fought them off. That was when we landed… you know the rest of the story" Coulson concluded

"Maria too?" Natasha asked and Coulson nodded

"What's the plan?" Adrianna asked

"We need to find somewhere we can hide and prepare" Steve said

"When Thanos released Fenrir he trashed the building but he didn't destroy it. He is not using it. It's abandoned" Coulson told them

"So that's where we go. We will find weapons and equipment there" Steve said

"What happened with Fury?" Bruce suddenly asked

"I don't know. We lost track of him after Fenrir's escape. He was in the Tower"

"Maybe he is still there" Thor suggested

"Maybe he is dead" Loki finally spoke up gaining everyone's attention "Don't look at me like that… if Fenrir and Thanos attacked him, there is no chance he might be alive"

"Until I see his body, I won't believe he's dead" Steve stated adamantly

Loki nodded at him but remained silent.

"By the way… from where do you know your buddy Thanos?" Tony inquired with a somewhat malicious curiosity

"I do not see how that is any of your business, Stark" Loki spat

"Oh, but it is… it is everyone's business, since he tried to kill us" Tony responded

Loki looked at Thor for a moment and then at Emma who was sitting next to him.  
She had her brow furrowed in thought. With a sigh, he proceeded to speak:

"I only met Thanos once" He started "When I fell into the cosmic abyss I traveled through many worlds until I encountered a creature called The Other. He served his lord, Thanos. I was introduced to him and that was when he offered me his help to…"

"Attack Earth?" Clint asked from the cockpit

"Yes" Loki admitted "He offered to put his army of Chitauri under my command in exchange of something very precious and dangerous"

"The Tesseract" Steve deduced and Loki nodded

"After I agreed I was threatened: if I failed to conquer Midgard and obtain the Tesseract, Thanos would have me killed. After that you know what happened"

"Yeah, we kicked your and the Chitauri's asses" Tony said and Clint snorted amused by the comment

"That is the debt Thanos was talking about collecting" Steve pointed out and Loki nodded again

"But the Tesseract was supposed to be safe in Asgard. How could Thanos know you and Thor would use it to come, hence, bringing it here?" Adrianna questioned

"You don't know Thanos. You have never encountered anyone like him; he worships death, manipulates matter, time and space at will… he comes from an old superior race called the Eternals" Loki told them "They descend from the creators of the universe and so do the Skrulls only that they were experimented on until they became the mindless abominations they are today"

"That did not answer my question" The elemental said

"He must have had something to do with Fenrir's escape" Thor said "He knew Odin would send us to Midgard to defeat him and in a way to protect Eira…" He glanced at Emma for a moment before continuing "Fenrir's escape meant having to use the Tesseract to open a portal and come here… bringing the cube here where it would be vulnerable"

"But who could have tipped Thanos about Fenrir?" Coulson asked

Thor and Loki shrugged ignoring the answer to that.

"Well, and what is this pretty feminine glove he wears?" Tony interrogated "JARVIS hasn't been able to find anything on it anywhere"

"No one would… not in your world" Loki said "It is called the Infinity Gauntlet. It is of Thanos' own design and it is part of what makes him so powerful"

"What's with the different ray colors? Do they have anything to do with the gems in it?" Bruce continued

"Yes" Thor replied "A long time ago, father fought against the Dark Souls of Nilfheim, the army of forsaken souls of Hela, goddess of the Underworld. As reneged as Hela was, she had never pursued war against Asgard"

"Something incited her" Bruce said

"Or someone" Loki corrected

"We never knew who this was… until now… it is all making sense…" Thor pinched the bridge of his nose and continued "After Hela and her Dark Souls were defeated, Odin retrieved a piece of armor and kept it as a relic in the palace vault. With time father told us about the Titan who had created a weapon so strong, it could obliterate all life in the universe: the Infinity Gauntlet"

"But even with six slots, the glove only held five gems: the Time Gem, which is orange; with it, its holder manipulates time. The Space Gem, which is purple; its uses are to travel through space at will. The Soul Gem, the green one; it is one of the most devious of all for it can rob or attack any being's soul. The Reality Gem which can bend reality into anything its owner wishes; it is the yellow one and the Power Gem, the red one; it enhances whatever ability its holder has and can even duplicate someone else's skills" Loki explained

"And the sixth one?" Adrianna interrogated

"The Mind Gem" Loki answered

"The blue one, right?" Steve said and Loki nodded

"It controls and wields whatever mind the holder desires. It is the most dangerous gem of all" Loki said

"Wait… isn't that the same blue thingy you had in your spear the last time?" Clint figured out

"No. It held the same purpose but only half the power of the real Mind Gem. Thanos never obtained the true gem because he needed the Tesseract for that" The god of mischief told him

"And now he has it" Tony concluded

Following the long explanation, they made their way back to Manhattan and while the team discussed the course of action to follow, Emma sat next to the window by herself.  
She hadn't uttered a word throughout the entire conversation and once it had finished she had stood up and taken a seat far from the team to think for a while.  
Everything she had heard had made her feel very confused because, while the Avengers, her friends clearly saw all of that as a sign that Loki was the responsible for everything that was happening, Thor tried to justify his brother and her; she didn't know what side to take.  
After a while of being alone, she felt someone taking the seat next to her and she didn't need to turn to know who it was.

"I hope you realize you can't sneak up on me either" She told him

"I realize" He replied

Emma turned around and came face to face with Loki. His eyes had an unfathomable expression, just like her own "Is it true?"

"What?"

"The deal you made with Thanos… the Tesseract for the world?"

"Yes"

"Why?"

"You know why"

"No, I don't… I can't understand where in the way you turned so wicked and soulless"

"When I lost Eira"

She looked down for a moment and repeated "Her"

"Yes… her but you have changed me" He said trying to take her hands in his but she pulled them away

"Have you changed?"

"You do not trust me anymore"

"I never said that"

"But you are thinking about it"

"You don't know what I'm thinking… if you knew you would know that I trust you more than anyone else in this plane"

"But…?"

"But that doesn't mean I condone what you did"

"I have paid for it since before it all started, Emma… I was alone, rejected, exiled and dead inside" Loki said sadly "My life had no meaning and I have been trying to find one for as long as I can remember… I have known nothing but death and pain" Emma looked deep into his green eyes knowing he was not lying "I am not asking you to justify my actions; all I am asking if for you to give me a chance to make amends; for you"

"Don't do it for me, Loki… do it for yourself" Emma told him, finally letting him take her hands "And for your family" He couldn't help to exhale annoyed "I know you don't believe it but I am sure they missed and mourned you when they lost you… and to have you back under those circumstances couldn't have been easy for any of them… think about your mother… about your father… about Thor… he is your brother, whether you choose to believe it or not" Seeing him nod, Emma reached out and ran the back of her index finger along his cheek, causing him to close his eyes "Sleep. You are still wounded and you need to rest before we land"

Not saying anything else, he leaned his head against the headrest while intertwining his fingers with Emma's and closed his eyes, prepared to sleep feeling a kind of warmth in his chest he hadn't felt since he was a little boy.

But the peace didn't last long.  
Suddenly, the quinjet shook as if turbulence had hit it but the problem wasn't in the outside but in the inside.

"What's going on?" Steve asked getting up from his seat and rushing to the cockpit

"Clint!" Natasha shouted from her place at the co-pilot side

Hawkeye was bent in pain, his hand over the almost-healed wound on his thigh; his eyes shut in pain.  
Of course the quinjet would shake; the pilot was going through an agonizing pain.

"What's happening to him?" Adrianna asked kneeling next to him

"Clint, where does it hurt?" Bruce questioned

"The leg… the wound… it's burning… it hurts too bad!" He said behind gritted teeth

"Take him to the back" Tony said "Cap, can you fly one of these things?"

"I think so" Steve doubted

"I'll give you a hand" Natasha told him as Bruce and Tony almost carried Clint to the back part of the quinjet and the Captain took his place as pilot

"Lay him down" Emma instructed Bruce and Tony as she approached to Clint, knelt down next to him and examined his wound "It's as if it was reopening… what did I do wrong?"

"I don't think it has anything to do with what you did, Emma" Bruce told her

"But…" Emma started but then a scream of excruciating pain cut her off. Looking up at the direction whence it came from she saw that Loki was writhing in agony in his seat until he fell to the floor. Rushing to him she saw that, like Clint's, his wound had reopened "Loki"

"It burns!" Loki shouted

"Brother" Thor kneeled by his side

"Why? Why is this happening?" Adrianna questioned placing Clint's head on her lap

"Loki, what does it feel like?" Bruce asked

"It burns…" Loki repeated

"Yes but how… where?" Bruce insisted

"Bruce, what…?" Emma started but Bruce shook his head at her

"Deep… deep inside… as if it was running through my veins… all over me…" Loki managed to say

"Clint?"

"Same" He barely uttered breathing heavily

"Emma, he's bleeding again!" Adrianna exclaimed pointing at Clint's leg

Emma looked down at Loki's side and saw that blood was once again oozing out of the stab.

"No, please… no…" She mumbled trying to stop the bleeding with her hands

"How long until we reach the Tower?" Thor asked Coulson

"Not long. A few minutes" The agent answered

"They don't have a few minutes! They are going to die!" Emma yelled "Don't die, Loki… please…"

While Emma looked after Loki, Adrianna did the same with Clint as Thor, Bruce, Tony and Coulson could do nothing but watch, waiting for Steve and Natasha to take them fast and safely to their destination.

"Don't die…"

* * *

**That's just too much tension! I hope you have nerves of steel... because it's gonna get even worse... bu-hu LOL.**  
**Once again, thank you so very much for all your kind words and please, don't forget to review :D**

**Lots of love to all of you!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	22. 21 One Tough Chocolate Cookie

******I'm having a bit of a rough moment right now but I wanted to post anyways...  
In fact I'm gonna skip my usual personal thank yous but you all know who you are, my amazing readers and friends.**

******Today's song is Injection by Hans Zimmer (Hail Maestro Zimmer!)**

******ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY ONE – ONE TOUGH CHOCOLATE COOKIE**

"Heimdall"

The sky in Asgard was of a dark blue, almost black and all the constellations were visible at first sight but in the distance, the gatekeeper of the realm could see dark clouds forming over the fate of one of the princes.

Frigga, Odin's wife and Thor's mother (Loki's adoptive mother as well) had left her duties at court and her husband's side to visit the god of light; he who looked over the nine realms and saw everything.  
Heimdall tightened his grasp around Gjallar, the horn he bore and blew at the times of greatest danger, as his yellow eyes remained fixed on a single place: Midgard.

"Your majesty" He said without turning but bowing his head slightly as a sign of respect

"Tell me what you see" She told him

"I see Midgard, my lady"

"You see my sons?"

"I do" His voice trembled

"But you see more than that, do you not?" Frigga questioned and he gave a single nod "What is it that you see, watcher?"

"I see peril, your majesty… I see suffering and…" Heimdall paused and finally turned to face his queen "Death"

"Thor?" She asked, concern written all over her beautiful face but he shook his head and her eyes widened in fear "Loki"

"But he is not alone" He continued and saw her furrow her brow "A long lost friend of us all has reunited with him" Frigga tilted her head to the side still not understanding "A healer… a Vanir we once thought dead"

Frigga lifted her chin in realization "They found Eira"

"Yes, but her powers are not enough to fight this evil that threatens to end with Loki's life… with the survival of Midgard"

"What would they need?" Frigga inquired

The watchman of the gods looked at her intensely and said "A miracle"

* * *

It took them fifteen more minutes to reach New York and five more to get to S.H.I.E.L.D. Tower but they didn't land right away.

"Why aren't we descending?" Adrianna asked noticing how pale Clint had turned because of the blood loss, just as Loki

"We need to make sure it is safe to land in the Tower. Thanos could've sent some of his lizard friends to finish the job" Natasha replied

Steve looked back to where Hawkeye and Loki laid, battling for their lives and then he caught Emma's eyes. Her green orbs were pleading at him.

"It is safe enough" He stated and gave Natasha a commanding look as he saw her trying to protest "It's safe enough" He repeated and understanding, she nodded

In less than a minute the quinjet's undercarriage hit the concrete surface at the top of the tower.  
Thor and Tony carried Loki out while Steve and Bruce did the same with Clint while Natasha, Adrianna, Coulson and Emma covered their backs in case anyone or anything saw them and attacked.

Once safely inside, and after realizing that the penthouse had been virtually destroyed, they arranged the remains of the couches so that Clint and Loki could be put down to rest.

"Maybe we can find one of the medical kits at the infirmary or the equipment room" Emma said

"Will that be enough?" Tony asked

"I don't know but it's worth a try. Who's coming with me?" She replied

"I am" Bruce said

"Me too" Steve added

"We need to go looking for Cnl. Fury. He might still be alive" Coulson said

"Ok, Emma, Banner and I will go to the infirmary. Stark, Thor and Natasha go looking for Fury. Coulson and Adrianna, you stay up here with them" Steve ordered and they agreed

"JARVIS?" Tony tested hopeful

"Yes, sir?" The device replied and Tony gave a sigh of relief

"We need a scan of the building, in case there's someone in here" Tony said

"And run agent Barton's and Loki's vitals" Emma elaborated and Tony nodded

Emma looked down at Loki for a second before leaning down and kissing his forehead "I won't take long. Hang in there" She told him before joining the others

The six of them rushed down the stairs (since the elevators were not working anymore) and once they reached the first level, they split in the two teams Steve had assigned: Thor, Tony and Natasha would go to the basement levels in hopes of finding Fury alive while Steve, Bruce and Emma would go to the parking lot levels where the equipment rooms were located.

"Use JARVIS to get through to us" Tony told them before rushing away

"C'mon" Steve signaled leading the way, followed by Emma and with Bruce watching over the rear

They ran as fast and lightly as their feet allowed them and in absolute silence, in case any of Thanos' creatures were around.  
Fortunately, they didn't encounter any; the building seemed to be, in fact, abandoned.  
After a few minutes they got to one of the equipment rooms but all they found was destroyed gear and weapons. The next two were just like the first and then, when practically all of their hopes seemed in vain, at the last equipment room they found some of the things they needed including weapons, uniforms and even food. The only thing they didn't find was the medical kit they needed so much.

"We have to go to the infirmary; we have no choice" Emma told them

Steve considered for a moment and then nodded at her, taking the lead once again.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the lower levels, Thor, Tony and Natasha went through each and every single prison level without leaving any of the cells unseen.

"Maybe Loki was right…" Tony said suddenly stopping "Maybe Fury's dead"

"Would he stop looking for any of us?" Natasha asked

"No, he would not… and neither will we" Thor stated adamantly

For the next few minutes they searched high and low for the colonel until they reached level B-40, where Fenrir had been held.  
With Mjolnir in hand, Thor led the trio down the corridor as they approached to the ruined cell but they stopped on their tracks as the heard noises coming from the inside. Thor motioned them to halt as he walked on carefully and took a look into the cell.

There was a mound of rubble from the rest of the destroyed walls and some rocks had started to slide down because something was moving underneath all the disaster.

The god of thunder turned around, signaled them not to make any noise and to follow him, prepared to attack and defend themselves from the impending threat but as they neared to the rubble they were forced to jump back, startled by a hand breaking through the concrete barrier and trying to make its way to the surface.  
Immediately, they recognized the hand.

"Fury" Natasha said rushing forward and taking his hand "He's trapped" She pointed out and started digging into the debris

"Step aside" Thor told her and she obeyed, letting go of the colonel's hand

Thor took hold of Fury's arm and pulled with all the strength he had, releasing Fury from his chaotic prison.  
Fury took deep breaths and coughed as he sat on the ground.

"You are one tough chocolate cookie to crumble, Nick" Tony commended the director who just snorted (or at least he tried to) "What happened?"

"Fenrir escaped… he was helped by this other creature…"

"Thanos" Thor said and received a confused look from Fury "A lot has happened in the last few hours, Fury"

"We should get him upstairs so that Emma can take a look at him" Natasha suggested and without second thoughts, they did so

"Rogers" Tony called with JARVIS' help "Rogers, can you hear me?"

"I hear you, Stark" The four of them heard Steve's voice "Did you find Fury?"

"Yeah"

"Is he alive?" Emma's voice could be heard

"You can bet I am, Jansen" Fury replied and they heard the other half of the team chuckle

"It's good to hear you, sir" Steve told him

"Where are you right now, Cap?" Natasha asked as Thor and Tony helped Fury to walk

"We're on our way to the infirmary"

"Did you find anything in the equipment rooms?" Tony questioned

"Yeah. Hopefully it'll be enough" Steve answered

"Well, we're going back up to the penthouse. We'll see you up there. Out" Tony said and then the communication was cut off "JARVIS"

"Sir"

"See if you can make one of the elevators work"

"On it"

"C'mon"

Thor, Natasha, Tony and Fury left the lower levels and made their way to the lobby where, thanks to JARVIS, they were able to get into one of the elevators and go straight to the penthouse.

"Director" Coulson exclaimed as the team walked into the living room, supporting an ailing Fury "We thought you dead"

"You did. I didn't" Tony said at the same time he and Thor placed Fury on one of the mangled couches

"Yeah, right…" Natasha muttered and made her way to Clint and Adrianna "How is he?"

"He's barely breathing" The Elemental replied with concern

"Loki's the same" Natasha commented looking over at the god of mischief and then saw Thor kneel next to him

"Brother" Thor said taking Loki's hand

"Where is Emma?" Loki did a great effort to ask

"She will be here very soon with the medicine you need" Thor comforted

"I… I find this ironic" Loki said

"What?"

"That I die after finding her" A bitter scoff turned into a heavy cough

"Do not speak, brother. Save your strength"

"Tell her… tell her I asked for her forgiveness… tell her how much…" He coughed another couple of times "Tell her how much I love her…"

"Be silent, Loki… you will tell her yourself"

Loki then widened his eyes in excruciating pain and started yelling "Make it stop! Please, make it stop!" He brought his hands up to his head in a failed attempt to stop the pain "Stop!"

"Loki, what is it?" Thor questioned but he was immediately distracted by Clint's own shrieks

He was also holding his head and shouting the same "Make it stop!"

"What? Make what stop?" Tony asked

"The burning… in my head…" Clint answered

"Emma! Rogers! Banner! Where are you?" Thor yelled

* * *

At the same time, Steve, Bruce and Emma carefully made their way to the infirmary.  
The hall that had been once white and pristine looking was now in complete destruction.  
All the beds were tipped over; the machines were ruined and practically every cabinet had been emptied.

"Em, I don't think we're gonna find anything salvageable in here…" Bruce said as he walked around the room

"We have to find some sort of antidote… I'm sure, whatever it is attacking Loki and Clint is a type of poisonous toxin…" Emma said, mostly to herself "I know the symptoms… I know infections… that's what I do…" She mumbled

"Emma…" Steve started but she wouldn't listen "Emma"

"Antidote… an antidote…" She continued, walking past the tumbled beds "Antidote…

"Emma!" Steve shouted at her, grabbing her by the arms and shaking her, making her come to her senses "You have to get a grip. We need you…" She looked down and then he said something that almost killed him "Loki needs you" This made her look up at him "He's going to die if you don't pull yourself together"

With a stiff nod and blinking repeatedly, Emma realized Steve was right and that is when the imaginary light bulb that floated over her head lit up "That's it!"

"What is?" Steve asked

"Bruce, get everything we can use from here. Steve, you come with me" She said and rushed out of the infirmary followed by Steve

"Emma, what are you thinking about?" Steve asked as they stopped and made their way into Emma's office

"I know I put it somewhere in here… I know it's in here…" She wasn't actually answering his question. She was just going through the destroyed file cabinets looking for something in particular "Where is it, damn it?"

"What are you looking for? Maybe I can help" Steve offered

"It's a small glass vial. It has a yellowish-greenish, quite disgusting looking liquid in it… it has a white label that reads: 'Successful Antitoxin. Subject A'" She explained

Steve nodded and helped her look throughout the place.  
After a couple of minutes, while Emma sat on the floor rummaging through some boxes, Steve opened a small door at the back of her bookcase and there it was.

"Em?"

"What?"

"Is this it?" He asked lifting the vial in his hand and her face instantaneously lit up

"Yes! You're awesome, Steve! Let's go" She exclaimed, standing up, running to him, taking the vial and then rushing out of the office followed by Steve

But as they turned around the corner they stopped seeing a couple of Skrulls going through the rooms of that level, seeing if they could find someone either to turn into one of Thanos' subjects or to kill.

Steve reached out for Emma, pulled her into the office annex to hers, leaned her back against the wall and he pressed his own against her, protectively, raising a finger up to his mouth, instructing her to remain quiet.

Seemingly nervous, Emma tightened her grasp around the vial. They needed it to save Clint's and Loki's life and she would see to that even if it cost her life.

The Skrulls walked next to the office window and took a peek inside.  
Steve realized that their hands suddenly shifted into a weapon. As if it was a part of his anatomy.  
He motioned Emma to look towards the aliens and as she did she furrowed her brows, analyzing the enemy's abilities.

Being distracted by this, the second Skrull burst into the office, taking them by surprise and ready to attack them.  
Steve pushed Emma behind him and threw himself at the alien, dodging the blade it had form from his hand.

"Emma, run!" He shouted at her

"I'm not leaving you!" She replied

"I'll be ok. Just get out of here now!"

After a moment of hesitation, Emma nodded and ran out of the office but was faced by the other Skrull.  
It tried to hit her in the stomach with a bludgeon-like weapon that, just like with its 'friend', was part of its arm but Emma arched backwards, avoiding the contact.

Then, an idea occurred to Emma "Steve, don't allow it to cut you!" She shouted

"Ok… why not?" She heard him ask

"Their weapons are toxic… that's what's killing Loki and Clint!"

"Got it!" Steve punched the Skrull in the stomach and taking advantage of its pain, kicked it in the head

While it squirmed on the floor, Steve pulled out a gun and shot at it, effectively annihilating it.

Outside, Emma continued to battle the Skrull as she kept the antitoxin securely gripped in her hand.  
The Skrull swung the bludgeon at her and as it lifted the weapon she kicked it in the stomach but apparently this one was stronger, since the kick didn't seem to affect him at all.

"Emma! Rogers! Banner! Where are you?" She heard Thor's voice over the intercoms

"Thor! What is it?" She asked as she dodged yet another strike

"Loki and Barton are worse; we need you up here!" Tony answered

Emma nodded and tried to punch the Skrull but it got a hold of her arm and threw her with enormous strength against the corridor wall, leaving her light headed but still holding on to the vial for dear life.

As the Skrull prepared itself to hit Emma with the hammer-thing she covered her head with her arms quite helplessly but all of a sudden, several gun shots were heard and the Skrull stopped on his tracks, falling onto the ground in a matter of seconds, dead.

As Emma looked up, her eyes wide in alarm she saw Bruce, gun in hand and staring at the corpse of the alien quite surprised himself.

"Are you ok?" He asked her as he walked up to her and helped her up

"Yeah. Thanks to you" She said and then they were joined by Steve "Are you guys alright?" Both of them nodded "Ok, let's get going"

"Stark!" Steve called as they ran towards the lobby

"Captain"

"We're on a way to the lobby"

"Get on the second elevator. JARVIS put it back to work. You'll get here faster" Tony said

"Thanks" Emma replied and after reaching the lobby, they got on the elevator

A minute later, the steel box stopped and its doors slid open and the three of them made their way into the penthouse, Emma ahead of the other two.

"What took you so long?" Tony questioned

"A pair of Skrulls" Steve replied

"What? Did they escape?" Natasha asked

"No, we killed them but there could be more and if they find out we are here and tell Thanos or anyone else…" Steve's voice trailed off

"What do you want me to do, Emma?" Bruce asked as they tended to Loki and Clint

"We need two glasses. Fill them halfway with water" She instructed kneeling next to Loki and putting his head on her lap "I'm here" She whispered caressing his cheek

Bruce did as Emma told him and brought the glasses to her.  
Carefully, she poured half of the antitoxin into one of the glasses and then did the same with the other one.

"Make Clint drink it" She told Adrianna

"Will it save him?" Adrianna asked and Emma looked down at Loki

"I hope so"

Taking a deep breath, Adrianna nodded, took the glass from Bruce's hand and cautiously started pouring it into Clint's mouth. At first he didn't seem to be willing to take it but then he opened wider and started swallowing.

It wasn't as easy for Emma with Loki. He was weaker than Clint both because of the gravity of the wound and the placement of it, hence, it was much more difficult for him to stay awake and understand what they were telling him.

"Come on, Loki… open your mouth" Thor encourage

"Please, Loki… try… just try" Emma begged tipping the glass over Loki's lips

And thankfully, he did. Although ever-so-slightly his mouth opened and Emma, with a small bitter smile she leaned the glass and poured the yellowish liquid inside. With a lot of effort, he swallowed it and that's when Emma gave a sigh of relief.

As she turned to Clint she saw that he had also drank the liquid and that Adrianna continued to look over him.

* * *

"Director" Bruce said, heading to Fury who was being looked after by Coulson "How do you feel?"

"Not as bad as you might think" The colonel replied and while Bruce cleaned a long gash he had on the forehead, over his patch, Fury looked over at the two men down "Coulson told me what happened" He said eyeing his right hand agent

"We are the enemies, Fury" Bruce told him

"There must be a way to turn this back to normal" Coulson spoke

"But, what?" Bruce asked

* * *

"What happened, Rogers?" Tony asked Steve while they stood in a far corner, watching over the whole scene before them

"We told you: we were attacked by two Skrulls"

"There may be more"

"I know. We need to scout the tower. We can't let Thanos know we are here" Steve agreed "I'm going down there again"

"I'm coming with you… and we should take someone else, too" Tony said

"I'm coming" Natasha joined them

"Everybody, Stark, Natasha and I are going back down. We need to make sure there are no more Skrulls in here" Steve announced "Banner, stay here with Fury and guard the penthouse" Bruce nodded "Thor, are you coming?"

Thor looked at Emma and then down at Loki who, just like Clint had stopped complaining about the burning in their heads. They just seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

"I…" Thor started

"You should go" Emma told him, making him look at her "I'll look after him and I'll let you know if anything happens"

Thor nodded at her and then, standing up, joined the scouting team.

"Uhmm… Widow, Cap, Point Break… maybe you should change into something more comfortable, seeing that you found the uniforms downstairs" Tony suggested

They agreed and after changing into their respective suits, they were ready to go.

"Get through to us with JARVIS in case you need anything" Tony instructed them

Bruce and Fury nodded while Thor walked back to Emma for a second.

"Emma…" He started, gaining her attention "Loki… he asked me to tell you… that…"

Emma shook her head and silenced him "No. If he has something to tell me, then he has to live and tell me whatever it is himself"

Thor couldn't help to chuckle at her attitude and nodded, walking back to the others.

"We'll be back as soon as we're done" Steve told them and then, they marched out leaving Fury, Coulson, Bruce, Adrianna, Clint, Loki and Emma in the penthouse.

* * *

**Do I see a moment of peace in the future? Mmm... nah, not really :)**  
**So, yeah, thanks again for all your kind words and on going support; I love you so much, mwah!**

**Love you lots!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	23. 22 Super Duper Lame Name

**Yay! Posting time and with some big news... last night I finished writing the story! Yay! But you're gonna have to wait for a few more days to read the end but... yeah, nothing's gonna stop your reading... unleass you do it yourselves LOL.**

**Anowhoooooooo... Lexi Blaze, Jen Lennon, , sermadrid, donnabella2k7, Maralexa and HSky16, thank you so so very much!**

**I'm gonna get on with the chapter without rambling... just because I'm very busy starting the sequel... yeah, that's right... the sequel... mwahahaha!**

**The song of the day is: Fire & Ice by Within Temptation**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY TWO – SUPER DUPER LAME NAME**

"A subversive group of villains have arisen to stand up against the Overlord, our savior, Thanos the Eternal" The anchorwoman on the TV started "These terrorist call themselves The Avengers. Up next we show you the photos of each member of the subversive team: Captain Steven Rogers, who is called by his… peers" The blond woman paused and rolled her eyes "Captain America… then we have Russian expatriate Natasha Romanoff previously known in her homeland as Natalya Alianovna Romanova or by her alter-ego name Black Widow… yeah, right" The woman practically spat "Let's see… this fellow here is Dr. Bruce Banner but you might all remember him as the big, hideous, destructive beast called The Hulk" A picture of Bruce in his big, green form was shown and the anchorwoman seemed to be making an enormous effort to suppress her gag reflex "We also have an archer. They call him Hawkeye, we call him loser" She laughed and then corrected "Ok, seriously, his name is Clinton Francis Barton… Francis? Seriously? Wow…" The woman was getting annoyer by the nanosecond "Who's next? Oh, yes… the self-proclaimed billionaire, genius, playboy and philanthropist… yeah, my ass!" She exclaimed and then continued "Anthony Edward Stark… did you know he once hit on me? Yuck! Oh and his super-duper lame name happens to be Iron Man… Our lord Thanos likes to call him Tin Boy" The laughter of some of the others at the studio could be heard "A Viking barbarian looking dude. I am told his name is Thor and he's not even from this planet; go figure… he is accompanied in this picture…" She showcased a photo of Thor and Loki when the latter attacked New York a few months prior "By his brother, I think wearing a very silly helmet with big horns… if you ask me, I think he's trying to compensate for the size of something else, if you know what I mean" Again, she laughed despitefully "Anyways… we also have a couple of 'super-human' humans; the first is Adrianna Elizabeth Moore who is known to be a rogue sort of vigilante… she happened to join the right group and she goes by the name of… Crimson Tide, if I'm not mistaken… seriously, where do these people get their names from? Then a Lieutenant Dr. Emma Alexandra Jansen; doctor in Virology and Immunology; apparently she's the bright one and doesn't have a 'cool' name, if you know what I mean… then the boss who has only one eye… yeah, we can see that… Colonel Nicholas Joseph Fury… Fury… yeah, he makes us furious, all right!" She gave a fake cough and then continued "And last, and probably least; a nobody agent called Philip Coulson… does anyone know who that guy is?"

That was it. Tony hit the barely-standing, damaged plasma screen, effectively turning it off receiving mixed reactions from his teammates.

Steve, Tony, Thor and Natasha had returned about two hours ago from their tower scouting after not having found any other Skrull in the area. Of course, JARVIS had come in incredibly handy, scanning all the areas they couldn't cover.  
Fury and Coulson were sitting at the dining table going through some intel the team had gathered from several office, Fury's included while Steve and Tony sat on the floor watching the news looking for any new development (this was, until of course, Tony decided to kill the television). Natasha had been gone for a few minutes. JARVIS had informed them that she was in the cafeteria browsing for food.

"My name is not super-duper lame! Well, it would be if it was, in fact Tin Boy…" Tony sulked pacing up and down in front of Steve "And I did NOT hit on her!"

"Calm down, Stark… you know that woman is under Thanos' manipulation, just like everyone else… everything she's saying about is, except for our names is a lie" Steve told him

"How are we supposed to defeat Thanos if everywhere we go we are being haunted by his zombies?" Tony asked with a sigh, sitting next to Steve

"We have to regroup, Stark. We can't do anything until everyone is ok"

"You mean Loki too?"

"Loki too" Steve said looking over at the others

Bruce and Thor had gotten a couple of mattresses, blankets and pillows for Clint and Loki.  
While Adrianna looked after Clint with Bruce's help next to the bar, Emma and Thor stayed with Loki at the other side of the room, much farther from the rest of the team because, whether Adrianna admit it or not, Loki was in a much worse condition than Clint.

The hawk had already opened his eyes several times and had even spoken a few words but feeling exhausted, had failed to remain awake.  
Loki's case was different. He hadn't woken up and, even though he had stopped bleeding and, like Clint, had stopped complaining about the burning in his head but for Emma and Thor, it wasn't good enough.

"Why has he not woken up like Barton?" Thor questioned Emma who leaned against the wall, stoking Loki's raven hair

"I don't know, Thor… I know the antitoxin worked but… I ignore if it was too late to prevent some sort of… further damage…" She tried to explain as simply as she possibly could

"Further damage?" He repeated, not understanding

"The toxin… the poison, whatever it was composed of, might've gotten into his brain and… harmed it" Her voice trembled at the thought of this

"When will we know if his brain…?" Thor started but couldn't handle Emma's big scientific words

"As soon as he wakes up"

* * *

Later into the night, after they had had a very thin meal and Thor and Tony had volunteered to take the first watch, Adrianna sat very still, holding her legs against her chest and staring at Clint as if commanding him with the mind to wake up.

When his lids started to flutter open, Adrianna looked around trying to find anyone who would see this with her but found that all of the others were fast asleep so she scooted closer to Clint and held his hand.

"Hey…" She whispered as he tried to focus "Can you hear me?" He nodded "Can you see me?" He nodded again "Can you speak?" He shrugged "Wanna try?" He nodded but said nothing "You have to open your mouth and utter a few words if you want to speak" She joked and made him smile

"Smarty-pants" He uttered, his voice coarse and tired

"I was beginning to think you would never call me that again" Adrianna said losing her smile "You almost die, Clint"

"It has happened before…"

"But not like this… we didn't really know what was going on… I thought… you don't know…" She mumbled

"But I didn't die, Nan…" He reached out and took her hand "I'm better now, see?" She nodded and turned away trying to hide the tears that had started to roll down her cheeks. Gathering the strength he had, Clint sat up and reached for her face, making her look at him "Don't cry, Nan…"

"You almost left me" She whispered finally looking at him, her brow eyes welled up in tears

"Never…" He replied softly and pressed his lips tenderly against hers

* * *

They didn't know, thinking her asleep but Emma had witnessed the whole scene and, although she felt incredibly happy for her friends she felt like a stab in the heart thinking that Loki might never wake up.

She was lying next to him, very close, holding his hand and watching his chest rise and fall as he breathed steadily.

To think he may never open those amazing green eyes and look at her with that mixture of need, arrogance, sadness and love was driving her crazy. It was killing her too.  
A single tear rolled down her cheek as she rested her head on his chest and whisper "Please, wake up… please…"

"_Please, wake up… please…" Loki heard a distant echo and opened his eyes_

_He wasn't in Midgard anymore; he was in a very familiar hall.  
The ceilings were high, very high and the walls were painted in a dark golden shade but it wasn't paint, it was actual gold.  
He was lying on his back on a very soft surface and covered by a warm, elegant fabric. It was a bed; his bed._

_Loki was in Asgard, in that which had been his bed chamber. He was home._

"_Home…" He whispered tightening his grip on the edge of the blanket that covered him_

"_You are home, my dear" A tender voice told him. A voice he knew all too well_

_Sitting up but remaining on the bed, Loki saw Frigga rushing to his side, a wide smile on her face and tears of joy threatening to leave her grey-blue eyes._

"_Mother"_

_Frigga couldn't resist (nor she wanted) to embrace her youngest son with all the love a mother could hold in her heart._

"_Oh, I have missed you" She said_

"_What am I doing here? Where is Emma? What has happened?" He hasted his words_

"_Calm down, Loki. You are in Asgard but you are dreaming. Your body, so to speak, is still in Midgard…"_

"_And Emma?"_

"_She has not left your side for hours" Frigga smiled as she saw his son's face light up "But you are grave… Heimdall saw when Thanos wounded you"_

"_I was poisoned"_

"_You were. It traveled through your entire body but Emma gave you the antidote… all you need is the will and the strength to wake up" _

"_But I want to wake up" _

"_But you also seek peace. All the peace you have lacked for a long time…" Loki looked down and Frigga reached out, placing her palm against his cheek "Sweetheart… perhaps Emma is the peace you have pursued for so long"_

"_I have missed you" Loki said on the verge of tears_

"_So have I, my son… but you must return to Emma and your brother… they need you and you need them" Frigga leaned forward and kissed him lovingly on the forehead_

_Loki nodded and then felt himself being pulled back towards the bed where he lay until he had the sensation of falling._

"_Wake up…" A whisper told him "Wake up…"_

* * *

"Wake up…" Emma continued to pray "Wake up…"

With a gasp, Loki opened his eyes and breathed in heavily, startling Emma and making her sit up.

"Emma…" He panted and then looked to his left, where Emma sat, staring at him "Emma"

"You're awake" She whispered in the utmost disbelief

"How long have I been unconscious?" He asked her

"Hours… so many hours" Emma continued to stare at him until she contain herself any more. She practically threw herself at him, surrounding his neck with her arms, embracing him tightly

In surprise, though quite please, Loki hugged her back, leaning his head on her shoulder.

"I thought I had lost you" She breathed into his ear

"I know the sentiment" He replied and then flinched feeling the sting in his side. Emma noticed and pulled away, embarrassed

"I'm so sorry… let me take a look at it" She rushed to say and looked at Loki's wound. She had sutured it and bandaged it with expertise but it was now bleeding a little "I should change the bandage"

Emma started to stand up to retrieve a new set of clean bandages but Loki grabbed her hand and pulled her back down, next to him.

"It is alright. It does not hurt. Do not go" He asked of her and she nodded, obliging

He lay down and so did she, her head, once more on his chest, listening to his heart beat while he embraced her tightly.

"Mmm…" She mumbled

"What?"

"Your heart beat… I like the sound of it… it's… soothing"

"It isn't always" Loki confessed and saw her furrow her brow in confusion "Only when you are near"

"Loki…" Emma started sitting up but still holding his hand "You almost died"

"Yes… and you saved me… yet again" He replied also sitting up

"I can't keep doing it… I can't keep losing you over and over again… it's a living hell"

"I promise I will be more careful in the future" He told her quite sarcastically but with a small smile

"I am not joking" She responded, irritated "I'm serious…"

"I know… Forgive me… the last thing I want to do is cause you pain" Loki said fidgeting with the ring on her finger "But it is my duty to protect you from whatever harm comes your way…"

"And that includes Thanos" Emma deduced and he nodded "I don't want you to go against him again. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't think you can do it… I'm sure you can but I just don't want you to… not even if it is for me… even less if it is for me"

"You still don't understand, do you?" Loki asked "This pain… this heart break you have been feeling for the past hours I have felt it for the past twenty seven years, Emma… and I refuse to feel the same way ever again"

Without letting her speak, he leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She kissed him back but pulled away after a moment "Just promise me something…"

"Anything" He told her, canting his forehead against hers

"That you'll think twice before putting yourself in danger because of me"

"I will not if it means you won't get hurt" Loki contumaciously retorted

"It hurts me when you get hurt"

Loki couldn't help to smile at this and after bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it, said: "I would rather kill myself than to hurt you"

* * *

"You can run, Loki…" Thanos' voice resounded throughout the helicarrier bridge. He was looking down at one of the screens which showed the perimeter of S.H.I.E.L.D. tower. He smiled widely "But you cannot hide…"

* * *

Outside the penthouse, in the terrace, Steve sat on the floor, his back against the wall, being very careful not to be seen.  
He needed to be alone and particularly away from Emma and Loki.

His heart felt as if it was burning and tearing into too many pieces to count or to put back together.  
Back in his time, it had taken him a very long time to find someone who would want to be with him and he had finally found her, he had had to sacrifice his life and lose everything he had fought for.  
But destiny had decided otherwise. He had lived and had the chance to start all over again, although it came with a price: having lost everyone he loved to time and age.  
When he had woken up from that seventy year frozen state he was forced to face his sad reality: he was alone.

A few months prior, he had met the people he now considered his friends and they were no other than the Avengers and after defeating Loki and the Chitauri he had been introduced to Emma.  
What he felt for Emma had been almost instantaneous. She was beautiful and that was plain to see but as he got to know her he fell head over heels for her. Her intelligence, her wittiness, her no-crap attitude, her kindness, her strength, even her die hard stubbornness; he loved her for all of that and more and because of that he had chosen to give her up and let her be happy with the man she had chosen to be with.

Loki.

He had proven to be sincere about his feelings towards Emma (he had almost died in several occasions during the process) but still, Steve couldn't find it in his mind or his heart to trust the god of mischief. Perhaps he was biased or perhaps he was jealous but the little voice in his head continued to tell him that Loki was an impending and constant danger to Emma and that, sooner or later he would do something that would harm her in ways no one could ever heal.

"Steve?" Someone called his name in a whisper from the door. Looking up, he saw Emma tiptoeing her way to him. He meant to stand up but she motioned him not to do it, sitting down next to him instead "What are you doing here?" Emma asked

"I'm just… getting some fresh air" He told her

"You've been out here for a long time, haven't you?" He tilted his head questioning "I've been awake all this time"

"Taking care of Loki"

"Well, yes… among other things"

"Such as?" Steve inquired and she sighed

"Such as thinking"

"About?"

"About what's happening, what we are going to do about Thanos and the Gauntlet…" Emma looked up at the night sky "About Loki… about you…"

"About me?" She nodded but said nothing more "Emma… are you sure about your feelings for Loki?" She looked at him with furrowed brows "I mean… how can you trust him so freely, knowing everything he's done… everything he's capable of…?"

"Please, Steve; I don't want to go through this conversation again…"

"Have you considered that maybe I need to have this conversation? That I need to know if you are absolutely certain about you and him?" Emma stared at him with surprise and then watched him stand up and exhale frustrated "Emma… I know I decided to give up to even try to fight for you but… I can't help having this feeling… here…" He pointed at his heart "I know that… if you stay with him, you'll suffer more than anything"

"Love is being willing to suffer" She told him standing up as well

Closing the distance between them, Steve took her hands and shook his head "No. Love is being capable to make someone else happy" He looked deep into her eyes and continued "I refuse to see you suffer…"

"I won't" She replied adamantly "Loki wouldn't do that"

"What Loki won't do is make you happy! Don't you see?" He exclaimed and then cupped her face in his hands "I could make you so happy…"

"I love Loki" She said softly

"But you also love me" He whispered and he noticed the despair in her eyes "Deny it"

"Steve, please…"

"Just say you don't love me and I swear will never bother you again"

Emma looked deep into Steve's eyes trying to figure out what to say but she was at a loss of words.

Suddenly she saw him leaning forward, inching closer and closer, just about to kiss her but a blast of energy hit Steve from the side, throwing him against the rail.

"Steve!" She shouted and looked to her side to find that the source of the attack had been Loki. He was standing, leaning against the door frame for support and covering his wound with one hand while keeping the other one stretched at Steve, menacingly "Loki! What are you doing?"

"Get up" Loki growled at Steve without looking at Emma

As Steve recovered and stood up, Emma rushed to Loki and saw the blood on his bandages and the sweat on his brow "Loki, please… let's go back inside. You're not well yet"

"He was kissing you" He told her without taking his eyes off Steve

"No… no, he wasn't…" She hurried to say "I… I had something in my eye and…"

"Stop lying!" Loki yelled at her, finally turning to face her. Frightened by what she saw in his eyes, Emma took a few steps away from him while Loki returned his attention to Steve "The temptation was too big for you to stay away, was it not, coward?"

"Coward?" Steve repeated

"Yes… allowing a woman to lie for you…" Loki scoffed "You were kissing her, were you not?"

Steve glanced at Emma for a moment and saw her shook her head at him, pleading him not to provoke Loki but he didn't care anymore "What if I was?"

"Do you have a death wish, captain?" Loki asked, his voice returning to its normal tone and volume but secreted more venom than usual

"What's going on?" Bruce asked as he, Natasha, Coulson and Fury rushed outside

"People, whatever's happening, you better take it inside… Thanos has eyes everywhere" Fury instructed

"You are right, Fury. Thanos has eyes everywhere… we will take this inside…" Loki responded and then, shot another energy blast at Steve, sending him flying into the penthouse wrecking even more the already wrecked apartment

Everyone witnessed this in shock while Loki marched into the room and grabbed Steve by the neck, lifting him from the floor.

"What's happening?" Clint asked, standing up with Adrianna's help

"Loki is attacking Rogers" Natasha informed as they rushed back in

"Loki, please!" Emma begged running to him and taking his arm "Stop this"

But Loki was beyond reason. He looked down at Emma and she felt her heart stop at what she saw in his eyes. They weren't normal. They weren't his.  
Without giving her the chance to do anything else, Loki threw Emma to the floor forcefully.

As she looked up at him, she knew Loki wasn't himself anymore. Something had gone terribly wrong.

Steve, seeing this act against Emma threw himself at Loki, tackling him to the ground.

"Steve, no! Remember his injured!" Bruce pointed out

Captain America wouldn't listen. He got on top of Loki and punched him repeatedly in the face until Loki kicked him away.  
In that moment, Thor and Tony burst in, coming back from their watch, hearing the noises.

"What the hell is going on?" Tony asked

"Loki, what is this madness?" Thor questioned but when Loki turned to look at him, Thor noticed the same thing Emma had "Loki… what has happened to you?"

"Thor… the mighty Thor…" Loki laughed maliciously "What has happened to me? I have seen the truth, Odinson… I have been blinded since I returned to Midgard… I forgot my true purpose…"

"True purpose?" Adrianna echoed as she helped Clint remain standing "What do you mean?"

"I will tell you what I mean, Elemental… I have decided to leave you all, pathetic humans and join Thanos… he offers me everything I have always wanted…"

"Loki!" Thor called at him to no avail

"Loki… please…" Emma's soft voice begged as she took a few steps closer to him

But indeed, Loki was not the same he had been an hour before. He approached to her with a wicked smile painted on his lips.

"Emma" His voice sounded eerie "You are the one who has blinded me… you and your… charms…" He raised his hand and ran its back softly against her cheek

"Loki, what's wrong? What happened to you?" Emma was on the verge of tears but she mustered the strength she had left to hold them back. And it was then when Emma saw that there was nothing left of his green eyes; the sea-green color of his irises had been replaced by an electric, unnatural shade of blue, just like…

"The Gem…" She gasped and then felt his fingers snake around her neck and then walking to stand behind her

"I have seen the light" Loki hissed into her ear "The Overmaster has shown it to me…" He ran his thumb up and down the length of her neck "Would you like me to show it to you?"

"No" Emma replied trying to maintain an stoic expression

"Such a pity…" She heard him

"Loki, let go of her" Steve threatened as everyone surrounded Loki and Emma

"The soldier…" All of a sudden, Loki's voice changed. It wasn't his, it was…

"Thanos" Emma widened her eyes in shock as Loki's hand tightened around her neck

"You did not think it would be so easy to escape from me, did you, energy manipulator?" Thanos' voice said through Loki's mouth "Although… you seem to be able to manipulate so much more than just energy… apparently you are capable of manipulating feeble gods… such as Loki" Loki spun her around, making her look into those horrible bright blue eyes "I wonder what Loki sees in you…"

"What do you want, Thanos?" Fury asked

"So nice of you to ask, ex-director Fury…" Loki said turning his attention to the colonel "But it is very simple… I just want you all to die"

Steve looked at Emma who was still under Thanos/Loki's grasp. She then looked at him sternly and then nodded, as if giving him instructions.  
It was too simple but he understood.

While Thanos/Loki continued to be distracted with Fury, Steve, seizing the opportunity, rushed forward, attempting to free Emma from him but apparently, the possessed Loki was aware of their thoughts; he looked to Steve, making him stop on his tracks.

"Tsk, tsk…" He shook his head and continued to smile amused "Did you really think you could sneak up on me and attack me that easily?" Loki extended his free arm and formed a red energy ball, pointing it at Steve and the others "Say goodbye"

"Everybody down!" Tony shouted and they all threw themselves to the ground

Before the blast could hit them all, Emma raised her hand and grabbed Loki's arm as strongly as she could.  
Seeing that his grasp around her neck wasn't as unyielding as it was before, she turned around and faced the mind-controlled Loki.

"Loki… don't do this… Loki…"

For a moment, Emma could have sworn she saw the green in Loki's eyes come through the blue and his expression change but immediately Thanos' personality return.

"Loki is gone" He answered and then threw her to the floor, to his feet "But do not fret… you will meet him again… in the afterlife"

He pointed the blast directly at Emma.  
She was waiting for it to hit her but it never came.

Looking up, Emma realized that, although Loki continued to aim at her, his expression revealed that he was going through a very intense mental battle.

"Loki?" She asked hopeful

"No…" Thanos' voice muttered and then looked back at them "This is not over" He threatened and then vanished into thin air

"Emma" Steve called, standing up and rushing to her "Are you alright?"

"No… no, I'm not…"

"Did Loki just turn on us?" Natasha asked

"I was waiting for it to happen sooner than later…" Adrianna added

"You do not know what you are saying" Thor interrupted them

"What do you mean?" Clint questioned

"His eyes…" Emma managed to say as Steve helped her up

"What about his eyes?" Tony continued

"Were they blue? Like the others'?" Coulson suggested

"Yes... just like..." Emma turned to Clint

"When Loki got into my head" He deduced and she nodded

"And it was Thanos' voice, it was not his" Thor pointed out

"You're saying Thanos is controlling Loki?" Bruce said

"I find that very hard to believe" Adrianna scoffed

"Emma, maybe it is time you realize Loki is evil" Natasha told her

"That wasn't Loki! He wouldn't do this!" Emma exclaimed

"So you say…" Adrianna snapped back

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know what I mean. No one in this room apart from you and Thor trust Loki. From Thor I get it; they are 'family' but from you…" Adrianna continued

"Adrianna, don't…" Tony tried to intervene

"Why not? Everybody thinks it but nobody dares to say it!" She shouted and turned back to Emma "You only trust him because he makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside… you are nothing but his whore!"

Emma stomped over to her and slapped her across the face but said nothing and then noticed that no one spoke a word.  
She looked around and analyzed their faces "You think the same, don't you? All of you…" Hurt and pain were written all over Emma's face "So this is what it has come to…" She whispered looking down

Without saying anything else, she grabbed a gun and a backpack with supplies and headed to the door but Tony ran after her.

"Emma, wait…" He started grabbing her elbow, trying to stop her

She snatched her arm "Let go" Her voice sounded as enraged as Loki's

"Em, please…" Bruce started but stopped as soon as she looked at him, almost as if willing to kill him if he approached

Emma continued to walk to the elevator but Clint spoke up "Where are you going?"

"Anywhere…" She started and then looked back at all of them "Anywhere away from you"

No one really knew what to say but Steve wasn't letting her go that easily. He rushed, following her and catching up with her in the stairs.

"Where are you going, Emma?" He started

"I'm going to find Loki and to prove you… all of you he is not what you think he is" She replied without looking back at him as she continued to descend

"You can't just give your back at us" But this made her turn

"I am not the one giving their back at anyone, Steve… you did it to me first… all of you"

"So you're leaving? Why? Because we don't trust Loki?"

"No. I'm leaving because you don't trust me!"

Steve could do nothing more than watch her leave.

Once downstairs, Emma took a deep breath in and prepared herself to exit the building but steps behind her made her stop, but not turn "Leave me alone"

"I am not leaving you alone" It wasn't Steve, but Thor

"Thor… don't even try to stop me, I'm leaving"

"I know… and I did not come to stop you…" Emma furrowed her brow "I am coming with you" She raised an eyebrow in disbelief "I trust you and, with everything Loki has done, I still trust him… he is capable of good…"

"So you believe me? You saw him too, didn't you?" Thor nodded and Emma felt herself half smile

"Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I let you go alone?" He told her "And what kind of brother would I be if I did not try to help Loki"

"Thank you" She replied and then, they walked out of the ruined tower, preparing themselves for whatever crossed their path

* * *

**Oh my God... this is just way too bad... they have split... I foresee chaos and disaster...**

**Stick around, peeps... and hold on because it's going to be a bumpy ride ;)**

**Keep revieweing, please! Make me happy! LOL**

**Lots of love!**

**ASSBEMLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**

**PS. This chapter was very long as well, don't you think? ;)**


	24. 23 Little Talentless Vanir

**I'm busy, I'm busy, I'm oh so busy... doing what, you wonder? WRITING THE SEQUEL!**

outthere101, Peace and Blessings, Steph the bat 11, , Jen Lennon, sassymagpie, StepiLady, technicolortucan and Grinning-Loki-Locked, thank you all so so so very much!

**Today's song is... Calleum Infinitum by Michelle Tumes**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY THREE – LITTLE TALENTLESS VANIR**

"Did that just happen?" Clint asked in utter disbelief

Emma had stormed out of the penthouse merely minutes ago and, after he had shot very menacing glares at them, Thor had gone after her.

"Don't you mean: did we just do that?" Tony corrected and Clint narrowed his eyes at him "Don't give me that face, Cupid… your girlfriend here called Emma Loki's whore and we didn't defend her… we practically agreed with it!"

"I'm sorry but…" Adrianna started

"Oh, no, darling, you don't get to speak just yet…" Tony cut her off and continued "Why did we let her go? Why did we let it all come to that?"

"Ltn. Jansen made her choice, Stark" Fury tried to say

"No, she didn't… we just didn't give her any other option! We pushed her away!" Tony exclaimed

"Do you think Thor managed to convince her to stay?" Bruce wondered

"JARVIS, where are Thor and Emma? Are they in the lobby?" Tony asked

"No" JARVIS replied

"Well, then… the infirmary? Or Emma's office?"

"No, sir"

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"He means they are not in the building" Steve answered as he looked out the window, down to the street

"Where are they, then?" Natasha inquired

"Outside… they are leaving" Steve told them

"Leaving? Leaving where? We are all considered dangerous fugitives… they can't go out there!" Tony shouted

"Emma said she was leaving, didn't she?" The captain turned to them "And Thor chose to go with her"

"We can't just let them go… it's not safe" Clint said

"But she wasn't really safe with us, was she?" Steve snapped looking at Adrianna

"What is that supposed to mean, captain?" Adrianna asked outraged

"Loki almost killed her and then someone insults her and we do nothing to stand up for her? Tell me how is that keeping someone safe?" He replied

"She didn't mean it, Rogers… we are all very stressed out because of what's happening!" Clint defended

"But that doesn't give Adrianna or any of us the right to offend Emma" Tony intervened

"Adrianna only said what we were all thinking" Natasha said

"I was not thinking that about Emma. I would never! Besides, she saved Barton's life" Bruce added

"And Loki's" Adrianna responded

The team continued to argue heatedly while Coulson and Fury only watched.  
After several minutes, Fury looked at Coulson and nodded.  
Coulson nodded back and then, putting two fingers in his mouth, blew out a very loud whistle, drawing the team's attention and interrupting their fight.

"That is enough, people" Fury commanded and everyone turned to him "Don't you see? This is what Thanos wants. To break us apart; to divide and conquer. He started with Loki and now Emma and Thor are gone too; is that what you want? To let him win? Fine, be my guests but don't come crying back when you realize it was all a big mistake" Tony was about to say something but Fury cut him off "I know, Stark. It was an impulse caused by the stress and the tension but even you have to admit that you don't fully trust Loki"

"No one does" Coulson commented "Except Emma and Thor, of course"

"But Emma was right: Loki was not himself and you all saw it. Somehow Thanos got into his mind and fully controlled his mind and body" Fury continued

"He didn't attack Emma" Steve suddenly remembered

"Rogers is right" Tony agreed "He could've killed her but something stopped him"

"That must've been Loki's mind trying to regain control" Bruce pointed out

"We have to find Emma and Thor" Clint said

"Wherever Loki and Thanos are, that's where they'll be" Coulson told them

The team nodded and got ready to depart.  
While they suited up, Adrianna, feeling incredibly ashamed, walked over to where Steve and Tony were, ready to apologize.

"Rogers, Stark…" She started, making them turn around

"Save it, doll…" Tony told her dismissively giving his back at her

"Please" She insisted and Steve nudged Tony in the ribs "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I said and for everything I've caused…"

"You should be" Tony chastised her

"Stark…" Steve warned

"Fine…" Stark motioned her to continue

"I know Emma isn't what I said…"

"A whore…" Tony reminded her

"Yes… that… it's just that…"

Seeing her at a loss of words, Steve stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder understandingly "It was wrong, yes but Thanos is doing something to us… he managed to locate Loki and get into his mind… God knows how he did it but…"

"How he did it… how he did it…" Tony suddenly repeated and rushed towards Adrianna's discarded red dress from the gala

"Stark, what are you…?" She started

"Where is it? Where did you put it?" Tony asked her

"Where did I put what?"

"The piece… the shard! The Tesseract shard you took before Loki poofed us out of the gala!"

"Should have said so sooner" Adrianna rolled her eyes and pulled the shard out of her jumpsuit pocket and handed it over to Tony "Here"

"Let's see…" He started, walking over to a small surviving glass table "JARVIS, run it"

"Yes, sir" That very well-known voice said and started scanning it

"What is it, Stark?" Fury asked as they all approached to the table

"The shard… I think it's somehow still connected with the other shard, the one in the Gauntlet in particular" Tony explained as he stared at the calculations being made by JARVIS

"The Gem? You think that's how Thanos found us?" Natasha questioned

"It's a wild guess" Tony shrugged

"No, but it's logical…" Bruce said

"So now it's my fault that Thanos found us?" Adrianna asked frustrated

"Well, yes and no…" Bruce started

"Yes, it is your fault" Tony said and stood straighter with a small smile after reading the scan results "And that is how Thanos got into Loki's mind…" Adrianna looked appalled "However…" Tony still managed to sound hilariously dramatic "You also gave us two advantages"

"Which are?" Steve inquired for all the team

"First… just like Thanos did with our piece of the Tesseract, we can use it to find his piece of the Tesseract…" Tony responded

"They are connected" Coulson deduced and Tony nodded cockily

"And second?" Adrianna asked

"We now know how to stop Thanos"

* * *

"My lord" His voice came out coarse; almost as if it wasn't his

He walked into the navigation hall, also known as bridge where the once S.H.I.E.L.D. loyal agents worked under the Overmaster's command.  
The purple skinned Titan stood in front of the large window which overlooked the Isle of Manhattan. His face sported a large toothless, wicked smile full of satisfaction and arrogance. He was triumphant.  
At the sound of his most recently recruited ally, he turned his head slightly and grinned, finally showing his large teeth.

"Ah, Loki… come, join me" Thanos called the god of mischief, who was wearing his Asgardian attire again, and obliged "I am very glad to see you where you belong"

"Where I belong" Loki repeated hollowly, his eyes still glowing blue

"Yes… you ought to be with those who will rule the universe" Thanos continued as Loki just stared out the window, into the dark grey clouds that covered the pale blue sky and the bright, golden sun "I know I was mad at you at first but, even when it was not of your doing, indirectly you led us to the Tesseract and thinking back on our deal, it was what you had promised…" Loki remained unmovable "I want to thank you" Loki finally looked at the Eternal and the latter smiled wider "And as a sign of my appreciation…" Thanos instructed one of the spell-bound agents to bring something to him and in a matter of seconds, it was done. The agent gave him a long, red velvet sack and then walked away, of course, after bowing to his lord "Here, my friend… I want you to have this…"

But Loki just stared down at the object in Thanos' hands. He wouldn't move; he wouldn't speak; he wouldn't react.

"What is the matter? Do you not want to know what it is?"

At last, Loki reached out and took the artifact from out of the red velvet bag.

"A sword" He stated coldly

"Not simply a sword, Loki… a sword fit for a king… for an emperor" Thanos told him and Loki looked up at him "They call it Lævateinn. I am sure you have heard of it in Asgard"

Still in a zombie-like state, Loki looked down at the sword in his hands. It had a long, thin, silver blade with two half circles coming out of the metal itself, one nearest to the point and to the right side of the blade and the other one closest to the black and green hilt and arching towards the left side of the blade.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Loki nodded "It is yours, my friend… and like I said, it is fit for a ruler… for the ruler of Midgard" The god of mischief looked up at Thanos with furrowed brows "You, Loki Laufeyson… I want you to be the ruler of this planet while I reign over the Universe"

"You do not have the Universe" Loki defied, even in his hexed state

Thanos lost his smile and uttered a snarl of rage "No… but it will… with your help"

"My help?"

"Yes…" The Eternal's voice came out as a hiss as he walked around Loki "You will help me defeat the so called Avengers. You know their ways… they techniques… their hiding places…" Loki straightened his posture "And I want you to kill someone for me"

"Who?"

"An insolent energy manipulator" Loki turned his head ever-so-slightly but remained staring out of the window "You know who I am talking about, do you not? She, who you could not kill when I first commanded you to" Loki narrowed his eyes at this "She is your weakness, Loki… you cannot rule if you have weaknesses…"

"I have no weaknesses" Loki responded

"Then prove it…" Thanos said and grasped the sword by the blade forcefully "And thrust this into her heart"

* * *

Emma and Thor had skillfully managed to pass unnoticed by the mentally subjugated and enraptured minions; mostly because most of the city streets were empty the majority of the time. With the exception of several of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prime agents scattered throughout the metropolis but both Emma and Thor knew their moves and strategies so they could easily dodge their surveillance.

They turned the corner and as soon as they realize a group of policemen were walking towards them, Thor pulled Emma into the nearest open and empty establishment and they leaned against the wall, panting out of exhaustion. They had been on the run for hours without stopping.

"Thanks" Emma told him and he nodded "I don't think Thanos remained at Stark Tower" She said looking up at her friend's building a few blocks away from where they stood

"No. Probably not but wherever Thanos is, we will find Loki" Thor responded and looked down at Emma who looked incredibly heartbroken "Emma, we will find him and we will set him free from whatever it is that got into his mind"

"It's not just that, Thor… I can't believe what the others think of me…"

"They do not understand… what you feel for Loki… it is the same I feel for Jane Foster" Emma couldn't help to give him half a smile

"Yeah, but Jane didn't try to destroy human kind" Thor scoffed at this "Did she?"

"Not that I am aware of" He replied and she weakly smiled back "You do not believe we will find Loki"

"No… not in time, at least"

"Not in time?"

"Under Thanos' control he could do anything…"

"What do you fear?"

"I fear for his soul… I fear he might lose it in the process"

"I fear that also… I have been fearing it since... he lost Eira" Emma looked down at her hands and sighed, shaking her head frustrated "Emma… I need to ask you something"

"Yes"

"Why was Loki attacking Rogers?" Emma tensed up at his question but knew she had to speak the truth

"Steve tried to kiss me" Thor's face expressed his anger "I know what you're thinking but… Steve and I… we… we liked each other before you and Loki came back…"

"Do you have feelings for Steve?"

"Maybe… but those feelings are nothing compared to what I feel about Loki… I love Loki and not even a stupid cosmic gem is going to make me change my mind"

"You truly love my brother" It was both an affirmation and an interrogation

"Would I be here if I didn't?" She replied and he chuckled "Thor… what was it like?" He tilted his head to the side and waited for her to elaborate further "What was my life in Asgard like?"

"Well… you came to Asgard when you were nine and ten years of age. You came to our court besieging the aid of the All-Father to fight against Fenrir and his forces and defend Vanaheim, where you were born" She nodded and he continued "Your father, Óðr, the god of poetry and inspiration had suddenly disappeared and your mother, Freyja, the goddess of love and fertility, reigned Vanaheim while you offered to undertake the campaign of crossing Fenrir's lines and reach the Bifrost. The journey was long, full of perils and risks but you made your way to Asgard" Thor leaned against the wall and sat down on the floor; Emma mimicked him and listened attentively "You were wounded, starving and thirsty and yet you insisted on seeing Odin before quenching any of your needs. Two days later, Odin, Loki, you… Eira and myself along with the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three and our army of Aesirs crossed the Bifrost and faced Fenrir. We were victorious" He remembered with a smile "He and his hordes fled the known realms and the alliance between Aesirs and Vanirs was only strengthened by this victory"

"What do you mean Óðr suddenly disappeared? What happened?"

"It was only after your birth that he was lost, or at least that was what Odin told us"

"What about her? My mother…" She inquired

"It is told that while mourning for your father, Freyja cried tears of gold" He softly told her and then continued not wanting to make her feel even worse "After the war was won, she decided to send you to Asgard, with us; to expand and improve your education"

"Did I have siblings?"

"Yes. Two sisters; their names are Hnoss, the eldest and Gersemi, the second child"

"I was the youngest?" He nodded "Do they live?"

"They do… all of them"

"And… what happened after I returned to Asgard with you?"

"Freyja's wishes came true. You became one of the most talented ladies in all of the Asgardian court and dare I say, in all of the Nine Realms" Emma chuckled at his kindness "Your abilities increased; you healed all of those who needed to be healed; you protected all of those who needed to be protected while your fighting skills grew exponentially"

"I used to train with you, didn't I?" Thor smiled and nodded once again "And… Loki?"

"Loki… well, if you must know, you did not really like him very much at first"

"I didn't?"

"No. You thought him arrogant, conceited, vain, dishonest and full of mockery"

"Sounds familiar" Emma joked and Thor grinned "Did he… like me?"

"I believe he always did… but he was too stubborn to admit it. He used to call you 'Little Talentless Vanir'… and you used to punch him whenever you heard him say it" Thor leaned his face on his hand and smiled "You know… I was sure he did it on purpose… to get your attention"

"Did it work?"

"It did"

"How did we… fall in love?"

"At first sight, dare I say"

"I'm serious!"

"So am I, Emma. You see; as much as he fought to stop it or avoid being seen, his eyes lit up whenever he saw you and a small, inconspicuous smile would always creep its way onto his lips, especially at the sound of your voice"

"What happened? What made me change my mind about him?"

"I am not very sure about that… but I think it had something to do with the fact that, during one of the court's balls, he kissed you against your will"

"He did?" Emma couldn't help to smile as she unconsciously brought her fingers up to touch her lips "What did I do?"

"You punched him, of course" Thor burst out in laughter at the memory and Emma joined him "But by the next day, the two of you were inseparable. Whenever he left, you suffered; whenever you left, he suffered"

"What happened after… I died?"

"Loki was not Loki anymore. He became this dark creature and even though he tried to be content whenever he was around us, his family, he was never the same. He was always incomplete"

"What about this?" She asked raising her hand and showing him the ring Loki had given her the day before

"He gave it to you, huh?" Thor responded taking her hand and staring at the ring "I noticed earlier, when he was wounded that he was wearing his… I did not understand why… now I do"

"He changed the name on his. It doesn't say Eira anymore"

"It says Emma" She nodded "These rings always meant a lot to him… especially after your passing"

"Why did he give me this ring? Why does he have one of his own?" Thor stood up and exhaled, as he ran a hand through his blonde, messy locks "Answer me"

"Perhaps you should ask this question to Loki himself"

"Well, it happens that I can't so you're gonna have to tell me" She walked up to him and took his hand "Thor, please… I don't want to doubt anymore…"

Looking deeply into her dark green eyes, Thor nodded and said "You and Loki were engaged to be married. There rings were made for the wedding ceremony that never came"

Emma frowned and dropped Thor's hand "What?"

"You were to be Loki's wife"

Feeling an incredible amount of sadness building up inside her chest, Emma suddenly felt herself smiling at the thought of what Thor had just told her.

"Emma, are you…?" He asked worriedly and she nodded quickly

"Yes… I am"

With that, she grabbed her backpack and walked to the door "Where are you going?"

She looked back at him and smiled wider "To save my fiancée"

* * *

**Oh, so romantic... they had such a beautiful and perfect life together and they both lost it... it's so so sad... *sniffs* who the hell wrote this? Oh, yes... I did... hehe ^_^**

**Stick around, folks... there's still a lot more to come... and keep reviewing... even my dad is excited because of the amount of reviews I've got so far (he made this pretty graphic on Excel just because, isn't he a doll? His bday is tomorrow, btw hehe).**

**Anywhooooo... love you all so very much! MWAH!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	25. 24 NuhHuh! YuhHuh!

**Good day, everyone!**

LauDuJardin, Terra3434, outthere101, Noella, Steph the bat 11, Berianireth of Lorien, Grinning-Loki-Locked and Peace and Blessings, thank you all for your reviews... happiness they bring me :D

**I don't have a lot to ramble on about today... only that it is my dad's birthday, my mom cooked for him, I sung an aria for him and now he's off to watch some soccer LOL.**

**Anywhoooooo... the song of the day is: The Last Song I'm Wasting On You by Evanescence because it fits so perfectly well with the chapter LOL.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR – NUH-HUH! YUH-HUH!**

Thor and Emma had left the empty building about half an hour before, trying to get to any high spot from where they could see the helicarrier. They were almost sure Thanos would be there.

"I could get us up to the flying fortress but if it is invisible…" Thor trailed off looking up at the sky

"We have to get their attention somehow…" Emma said also looking up

"You mean…"

"Showing ourselves" She started walking out of their hiding place and onto the street where a group of Skrulls patrolled the area

"Emma…" Thor called rushing behind her "Emma. Emma, wait!" He said catching up and stopping her, pulling her back into hiding "What do you think you're doing?"

"It's the only way, Thor" She replied

"No; we cannot allow them to capture us"

"How else do you suggest we find the helicarrier and get in?"

"I do not know but not like that" Emma gave him a persuasive glare "Even if they saw us, the first thing they would do is to either kill us or worse, turn us into one of Thanos' subjects"

"Then we fight them off until we can get their attention" Emma raised an eyebrow

Thor said nothing more and after a minute of consideration, he nodded.  
Holding hands, they stepped forward, reveling themselves to the militia of Skrulls.

"Hey!" Emma called them, gaining their attention

The reptilian humanoids' skin looked of a gross green under the dim grey sunlight and the uniforms they wore were more of a dark purple armor than anything else. Their large, pointy ears twitched at the sound of Emma's voice and got ready to attack them but Thor summoned a little lightning, frying them all in a second.

"Erm… Thor?" Emma started

"Yes?"

"We were supposed to surrender, remember?"

"Oh…" He grinned childishly and scratched the back of his head "Sorry"

"No problem, big guy; I think we've drawn more than enough attention" She replied looking around

And of course, tenths of Skrulls were surrounding them by now and, as they got on guard, the leader of the Skrulls approached to them, laser sort of gun in hand.

"Release your weapons" The Skrull commanded

"Uhmm… nope" Emma defied

"No?" Thor asked and then saw her shaking her head "No" He agreed

The leader raised his own weapon and pointed it at Emma, ready to shoot at her but as he did so, Thor intercepted the hit and forced it to rebound against Mjolnir, hitting one of the other Skrulls. The others, seeing their buddy dead, turned their attention back at Emma and Thor and made an odd hissing sound.

"I think you just pissed them off" Emma murmured to Thor who only shrugged back "We wish to talk to Thanos" She declared to the leader

"He wishes you dead" The lizard looking creature replied

"But I'm sure he would like to kills us himself" She refuted and the Skrulls shared whispers and nods

"What say you, creature?" Thor asked

After a moment of consideration, the Skrull nodded his large, long and scaly head "The Mighty Eternal will see you" He announced

Next thing, they were being escorted (more like roughly pushed) down Park Avenue, to the Grand Central Station, right below Stark Tower.  
There, a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were waiting for them and once they agents had exchanged a few words with the Skrulls, Thor and Emma were released into the humans' custody.

"Let's go" One of them told them harshly behind the black screen of his helmet

Emma and Thor exchanged glances as they walked between two lines of five agents each, at their sides.  
For a few minutes they walked into the central and along the large marble floor lobby until they reached the staircase, where, atop of it, a very familiar individual waited for them. Thor's features tensed up immediately as Emma's breathing became shallower; Loki couldn't help to give them half a smile.

"Where do we take them, my lord?" One of the agents asked Loki who continued to stare at Emma

"Into the tunnel" Loki replied, making his way down the stairs and stopping right in front of them "I will take them to Thanos"

The agents divided with only five of them staying behind while the other five and Loki took Emma and Thor to the tunnels.

"Loki…" Thor tried to speak

"Silence" The agent next to him commanded but Thor ignored him

"Loki" Thor repeated

"Silence!" The agent repeated hitting the god of thunder in the gut with the butt of his machinegun

"No!" Emma shouted trying to help Thor but another agent held her back

With one knee on the ground, Thor looked up at Loki and then the agent stroke him again only this time he did it in the face, quite violently.  
Loki just stood there, totally expressionless watching the scene and doing nothing to halt it.

"Brother…" Thor said lowly looking up at him

"I said silence!" The agent yelled once again ready to hit Thor for the third time

"Loki, please!" Emma begged at Loki who turned his attention for Thor to her and watched her oddly "Loki…" She whispered

He then took a few steps towards her and looked deep into her eyes trying to decipher her but after a few seconds of silence, he opened his mouth and said "Keep walking"

Without looking back at her, Loki resumed his post at the front of the group and they all started walking again.

"Thor, are you ok?" Emma murmured

"Yes, do not worry. These men hit like dwarves" Thor responded and then they remained quiet

For the next ten or so minutes, the group entered deep into the station tunnels until they had reached the largest of them all; the train was there, immobile and the darkness of the pit that snaked across the city seemed much more lugubrious.

"Leave us" Loki commanded the agents who just exchanged puzzled looks before he repeated harshly "Leave!"

Pretty shaken, the agents released Emma and Thor and practically ran out of the tunnels leaving them alone with the god of mischief.  
But this wasn't normal. If they were meant to be prisoners, why was Loki sending the guards away? None of it made any sense at all and Emma realized of it.

"Loki?" She called softly daring to approach to him but he didn't move "Loki…"

"Emma, don't" Thor warned, but she wouldn't listen

"Loki" She insisted reaching out and placing her hand on his shoulder. For a moment everything seemed to be alright but then, just before she could sigh in relief, Loki's hand surrounded her wrist tightly and turned around, his eyes glowing electric blue

"I spared your life once, energy manipulator. Do not test me again" He threatened, his grip solidly enforcing even more

"You're hurting me" Emma said behind gritted teeth

"You think this is pain?" Loki asked and closed the distance between them, his face mere inched from hers "You have yet to know pain" He hissed at her and let go of her hand, practically throwing her to the ground but luckily, Thor caught her before that could happen "Thanos will show you the meaning of pain"

Glancing at Thor for a moment, Loki raised his hand and snapped his fingers, effectively tele-transporting them out of the tunnel and to somewhere they knew very well; the helicarrier.

They stood there, taking their surroundings in as Loki walked around them and stood next to the large window at the bridge.

"Welcome, Thor Odinson and Eira Óðrdaughter" Thanos voice came from behind them

"My name is Emma Jansen, idiot" She snapped at him, as she and Thor turned to face the Titan "And I highly doubt we are in fact, welcome"

"Like I said before, girl… you are very insolent, wouldn't you agree, Loki?" Thanos said mockingly as he approached to Emma

She looked over at Loki and saw him staring at them expressionless "What have you done to him?" She demanded to know

"I have broadened his mind, girl… I have reminded him of his true purpose"

"You have poisoned his mind" Thor retorted gaining the Eternal's attention

"You think me so evil…" Thanos faked a sad voice and then grinned widely "And I am… now… let us talk plainly" Emma continued to look at Loki while Thor defied Thanos "Why are you here?"

"We have come for Loki" Emma said and then looked back at the Titan "And we are not leaving without him"

"You are right about one thing, Eira Óðrdaughter…" Thanos teased getting closer to her "You are not leaving"

Not able to hold herself back, Emma lifted her fist and punched Thanos in his very hard face. Of course, he had felt nothing while her hand was throbbing painfully but she did her best to hide it.

"My name is Emma Jansen" She told him, trying to hold back the tears

"I was considering being kind and civilized with you two but… nah…" He said and then looked over at Loki "Lord Loki… would you please take out prisoners to their cells?"

"Yes, my lord" Loki replied mechanically, taking Emma's elbow and leading her out of the bridge while two other agents pushed Thor down the say path

The whole way, Emma kept looking up at Loki, trying to get his attention; to make him see her and break him free from Thanos' spell but it seemed useless.  
After a few minutes, Loki stopped and motioned the other agents to take Thor to another level where he would be much more secure cell while he took Emma to a different one.

"Emma!" Thor called trying to break free

"Thor!" She called back and then turned to Loki "Loki, please…"

Staring deeply at her, Loki spoke up "Take him away"

"Emma!" And then, Thor was gone

She felt Loki pulling her away to the other way but she broke free and tried to run after Thor but Loki caught up with her and held her back, surrounding her waist with his arms.

"No! Let go of me! Let go!"

It was all useless. Loki practically dragged her to their destination.  
As they got there, Emma was shocked to see where they were:  
It was the original cell Fury had put Loki in when he had first come to Earth; the same that had been built specifically to contain the Hulk.

Emma stared at its glass walls in panic as Loki opened the door. Seconds later, she was being pushed in by him but instead of being locked there alone, she saw Loki walking in and closing the door.

But she was too enraged to even try to persuade him out of the spell. Without thinking, she charged at him, slapping him across the face, hot tears in her eyes.

"So this was what you wanted from the beginning, wasn't it, monster?" She shouted at him and tried to hit him again only that this time, his hand around her wrists prevented her from doing it "Let go! Let me go!"

"Be careful, Eira Óðrdaughter. Your insolence and mindless bravery will lead you to your death" He warned her and dropped her arms, giving his back at her and marching to the door but stopped at the sound of her voice

"What did you call me?"

"Eira Óðrdaughter" Loki said without turning around

"You know that is not my name"

"Then how would you have me call you?" He finally faced her and suddenly felt her lips pressing against his. He didn't fight it "Emma…" He whispered as they parted

"Loki…" She murmured back, placing her hands on each side of his face but just when she tried to kiss him again, she felt him grab her by the upper arms and force her away

"No" He declared

"No?"

"No" She saw a glimpse of his green eyes for a second before the glowing blue returned "Thanos will rule the Universe and I shall rule Midgard" Emma looked down, defeated but felt him gather her hands in his, making her look back up "We could rule it together" He suddenly told her

"What?"

"Thanos wishes me to kill you… but I do not want to…"

"You recognize me"

"Yes and I remember everything but… Thanos has given me a second chance… he has given us a second chance to be happy… to rule this menial planet"

"You know what you're doing, don't you? Thanos is not controlling you… he hasn't poisoned your mind… he just tempted you with a new offer…" Emma backed away from him as he walked up to her, cornering her against the glass wall

"He tried to control me but he used too little of the power of the Gem… I was weak after he wounded me and he took advantage of that but now that I am fully recovered, I have regained most of my lucidity… of my sanity… all I was missing to be complete was you" He reached out and tried to touch her cheek with his hand but she pulled away, disgusted by him "Have we not done this one too many times, Emma?"

"Apparently not enough" Her eyes conveying all the hurt and disappointment she was feeling "I came here to save you from Thanos…"

"It is not saving that I need" Loki removed a lock of her hair from her cheek and cupped her face in his hands "I am offering you a lifetime of happiness alongside me"

"All you have to offer is pain and death, Loki… I can see that now… I was too blinded before to…"

"What was blinding you?" Emma's breathing became heavier at this question "Your love for me, was it not?" At her lack of answer, he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him "Was it not?"

"What happened to that promise you made?" He tilted his head to the side and she continued "That you would rather die before hurting me… you should be dead by now"

Her answer was not what he had expected and he hadn't also expected to be as hurt by it as he was. Releasing her face, he gave a few steps back, towards the door.

"Wait" She called for him and he obeyed. With conviction, she made her way to him and on the way, removed the ring from her finger, placing it on his hand "Nothing binds us together anymore" Emma declared and after giving him one last hurt look, walked back to the opposite corner

Loki stood there for a minute before closing his fingers over the ring and leaving the cell.

Feeling distraught, Emma shrunk in the floor, against the wall feeling the most miserable of human beings.

At the bridge, Thanos watched the transmission from the cell's security camera and gave a low growl "So… I used too little of the power, did I not? No one toys with me, Odinson… and I will make you learn your lesson the hard way"

* * *

"That is your plan?" Adrianna shouted once Tony was done explaining what they were to do next "Haven't you considered that it might be… well, I don't know… outrageously ridiculous?"

"Look, doll, unless you have another idea, I suggest you shut that pretty little mouth of yours" Tony snapped back as he suited up

"You don't even know if it's gonna work" She retorted

"I do know!" He quipped at her

"Nuh-huh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Nuh-huh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Ok, that's enough!" Steve shouted at them irritated

"Thank you, Rogers" Fury told him while Natasha pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance "Moore, Stark's plan is the best and only one we have. There's simply not enough time to argue with it"

"The shard won't take us there. It's too small" Bruce suddenly agreed with Adrianna

"Thank you very much!" The elemental super human exclaimed

"No but it will draw Thanos here" Coulson pointed out

"Why would he want this little piece? I mean, he's got what he came for, right?" Clint wondered out loud

"One more piece to use to subjugate human kind… or whatever it's left of it" Tony answered

"Which is only us" Natasha added

"And Emma and Thor" Steve reminded them "Look, people, we really don't know much about this Gauntlet or the Brain Gem…"

"Mind Gem, Steve" Bruce corrected as politely as he could

"Yes, thank you, the Mind Gem… but we know he is interested in getting the last shard of the Tesseract"

"And don't forget his interest in finding us and killing us" Tony commented

"That too… he wants to find us and he knows we have the shard, that's how he got to Loki…"

"So the plan is still to split" Adrianna sentenced and Steve nodded "I thought we were trying to avoid that… hence my comment of how ridiculous this plan is"

"If the plan goes as… well, as I planned it then Thanos will think precisely that" Tony told her

"How are we dividing?" Natasha asked

"In three groups" Steve said turning his attention to everybody "Hawkeye you go up to the roof and keep an eye in the sky to let the rest of us know when the helicarrier approaches and you Moore go up there with him to slow the helicarrier with a little wind, ok? Once it's close enough you hop on and infiltrate. Banner, you're going with them too. Make sure to hulk out when you're inside" Bruce, Clint and Adrianna nodded, immediately getting ready to start while Steve continued to explain "Coulson and Fury, you will be walking out of the building into the street, to catch the Skrulls attention and to claim wanting to talk to Thanos"

"Why us?" Coulson questioned

"Because you're puny humans" Tony joked and received very nasty glares from the three agents

"In part, yes but also because you are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Thanos wouldn't fall for it if Stark, Banner or I surrendered" Steve explained

"So we get into the helicarrier through the front door" Fury deduced and Steve nodded

"And what about us?" Natasha inquired

"Do you remember that window at the lab in the helicarrier?" Tony asked and the Russian agent nodded "Guess how we're getting in"

"Yes, but how?" Clint continued

"We have a spare bird, remember?" Steve told them reminding them about the quinjet

"And what about Thor and Jansen?" Coulson asked

"Hopefully they have managed to avoid getting caught" Steve replied

"Knowing Emma she's probably threatening Thanos by now" Natasha said with a scoff and the others couldn't contain a smile

"While Fury and Coulson distract Thanos and Barton, Moore and Banner get into the helicarrier from the top, Stark, Romanoff and I are sneaking in through the lab"

"And then what?" Clint asked as Steve grabbed his shield

"We defeat Thanos"

* * *

**DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA... don't you just love it? LOL**

**I'll be seeing you very very soon, my darlings! Thanks for everything and keep reviewing, pretty please!**

**Lots of love!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	26. 25 Roger That Rogers

**Hello, everybody!  
I know... I didn't update in 2 whole days... how dare I? Well, it was the weekend and I needed a break while I continued to put together the sequel... dun dun duuuuuuunnnnnn...**

**Anywhooooo... here I am, earlier than usual so that you, my amazing readers can suffer a little more LOL.**

**Thanks to Terra3434, Peace and Blessings, , Leigh Tate, Steph the bat 11, MrsMellark245, MsAdhara, NIGHTSCREAM, Jen Lennon, LauDuJardin, Grinning-Loki-Locked, KiyUzumaki, Sulpicia Volturi.001 and Mrs Holmes-watson, you are all amazing! MWAH!**

**The song of the day is... Age Of The Gods by Thomas Bergensen**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE – ROGER THAT… ROGERS**

"Are Thor and Eira securely in their cells, Loki?" Thanos asked as he sensed Loki walking in

"Yes, my lord" Loki replied

"Why do you think they gave themselves in, my friend?" The Titan questioned

"I ignore it, sir but my guess is that they were too desperate"

"Desperate?" Thanos finally turned around and faced Loki "What makes you think that?"

"They were alone. The rest of the Avengers were nowhere near them… I am sure they must have quarreled amongst each other"

"Over what, you suppose?"

Loki detected something in Thanos' voice, but he wasn't completely sure of what it was; curiosity, perhaps?

"The daughter of Óðr is very obstinate"

"And you think she might have fought with the others because…" Loki looked down but remained silent "Because of you, is it not?" Still, silence "She thinks she can… save you, somehow, does she not?"

"Perhaps" Loki simply answered

"I wonder what could have given her that idea…" Thanos' voice was taunting "Maybe… the fact that you contained yourself from killing her when you had the chance"

"I apologize for that mistake, my lord… it will not happen again" He said as submissively as he could

"Oh, I know that, Loki… I am certain of it…"

All of a sudden, Thanos grabbed Loki's neck, squeezing his throat, cutting his air supply. As Loki struggled against Thanos' unyielding grip, the Titan dragged him and slammed him against one of the steel walls, lifting him from the ground.

"I know you have been able to fight the power of the Gauntlet, Odinson…" Loki widened his eyes at this "Yes… I heard what you told your beloved Emma… and I should have known better… your mind is not like that of the earthlings… but I will not make the same mistake twice…"

"Thanos…" Loki tried to speak but the Titan immediately tightened his grip around his neck

"Did you think you could fool me, trickster? Me? The most powerful Eternal the Universe has ever seen?" He spat at him "I want you to pay for your betrayal… I want you suffer and I told you how I would make you pay…"

"Thanos, please…"

"The time to beg is over, Loki…"

Much to Loki's despair, Thanos raised his gloved hand, placing the Gauntlet before his face and the god of mischief saw how the blue precious stone, the Mind Gem had started to glow.

"This time I will go so deep into your thoughts that by the time I have defeated the Avengers and you have killed you beloved, you will lose your mind…" Thanos hissed into Loki's ear "But do not fret, my friend… I will kill you… but not until you have realized what you have done… not until you have seen Emma's blood in your hands…"

Not being able to move or prevent what was coming to him, Loki remained frozen in his spot while the bright electric blue glow emerged from the gem until it had wrapped him completely and it was then when everything inside his mind disappeared.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Rogers?" Fury asked as they made their way to the elevator

"As sure as it gets, sir" Steve said and then they stopped walking "You continue on your own from here" He told Fury and Coulson; the colonel nodded, offering his hand for Steve to shake which the captain took

"Good luck, captain"

"You too, sir"

"Take care of the colonel, Phil" Tony joked and the quiet agent gave him a nod as the doors slid close

"Let's go up, then" Steve told them and they all proceeded to do it

Once at the rooftop, Natasha and Tony prepared the quinjet while Steve checked on Bruce, Clint and Adrianna one last time

"We'll see you at the bridge of the carrier once we've made our way to it" He told them

"Yes. Take care" Adrianna said and Steve nodded in return to both of them

"Good luck, kids!" Tony shouted at them as he closed the quinjet's hatch and seconds later, the jet took off

"I hope this works" Clint muttered

"Me too" Bruce replied with a frown on his face

* * *

Sitting on the floor, her legs against her chest and her arms around her knees, Emma stared at the floor with a hollow expression on her face.  
All her hopes and dreams to be with Loki had faded away in a matter of seconds right after talking with him.

She couldn't believe how naïve and gullible she had been to think she could have changed him; that she could have made him happy and different from what everyone else thought of him.  
What hurt her the most what remembering what Thor had told her about her and Loki's relationship; he wasn't born evil; he had not asked for all those bad things to happen; he had been dragged to it as a mean to find an ounce of solace in his life, or at least that was what she had tried to convinced herself of.

But no. The truth was that Loki was greedy, envious, megalomaniac, selfish, vindictive, full of idiotic grudges and in the end, evil. But Emma had failed to see that. She had not lied when she had told Loki she had been blinded by her feelings for him and he had taken advantage of that.  
She wasn't sure if he had had anything to do with Thanos coming to Earth or even with Fenrir's escape; all she knew was that he had used her and all of her friends to get what he had wanted from the beginning: world domination and he had achieved it.

The worst part was that, even knowing all of that, Emma couldn't help to feel completely in love with him.  
Anger started running through her veins, making her blood boil as she fought with herself trying to get rid of every cell in her body that had loved Loki.  
Tears rolled down her cheeks but she obstinately wiped them away knowing they were nothing but a sign of her weakness for him.

Her mental scowling was interrupted by the sound of the glass door sliding open. She didn't look up, knowing exactly who it was.

"Have you come to offer me to be your queen yet again?" She asked defiantly but received no answer "What happened to the almighty Loki?"

"He is gone" Loki finally answered and what he said made her look up

He didn't really look different from before and yet his voice sounded odd but he did not give her the change to reply. He marched to her, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her off the ground violently.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked but he silenced her by slapping her across the face so hard that he practically pushed her away. She looked up at him, covering her sore cheek with her hand "What the hell?"

Loki then stomped towards her, grabbed a handful of her hair and smashed her against the thick glass wall, cracking the crystal in the process and opening a deep gash on her right brow.

Before Emma could fight him off, she felt him leaning against her and whisper into her ear "The Masterlord Thanos wants you to die"

Emma widened her eyes realizing that this was not Loki speaking. He sounded just like when he had attacked them at first in the penthouse.

"The Masterlord?" She repeated trying to look back but then Loki pressed her head harder against the breaking glass "Since when do you call him that?" He spun her around and smashed the back of her head against the glass leaving her quite lightheaded. Barely keeping her eyes open, she fought the urge to surrender to the darkness that was threatening to take over her "What has he done to you?"

"Nothing you did not do to me" Loki snarled as he surrounded her neck with one hand and lifted something with the other

Seeing a shimmer come from whatever he was holding, Emma suddenly realized it was an odd-shaped yet magnificent sword and he was ready to use it on her.

"So now you are truly his puppet, aren't you?" She snapped "But you're forgetting something?"

"Oh, really? And what is that?"

"I am not just a puny human"

Accomplishing to pushing him off her, Emma immediately threw an energy projection at him, sending him flying across the cell and getting ready to fight him as he rose from the ground.

"I will make you regret the day you were born, Óðrdaughter" He hissed in her direction "And you will beg for a quick end before it is all over"

"Bring it on, Bullwinkle" She dared, quoting her dear friend

Without any second thoughts, Loki charged against her trying to slash her with the sword but, bending down and kicking him in the ankles, she tackled him to the floor.  
With the sword still in hand, Emma got on top of him, pinning him to the ground with her legs while she struggled to make him release the sword.

"Did you honestly believe it would be that easy?" He suddenly asked her, making her look down at him

Lifting his legs, he threw her above his head and, as she tumbled forward, he achieved to cut the flesh on her upper right arm. Grunting in pain, Emma covered the wound and then looked back at him, who was smiling down at her.

"There is something I want you to know, Loki" She told her, panting

"Please, tell me" He mocked her playing with the sword in his hand

Extending her arms forward, Emma created another energy projection, this time stronger and maintained it in her hands "I am not sorry for the beating I am about to give you"

Not letting him respond, the projection grew in her hands and in the next second, Emma threw it in his direction, throwing him to the wall and breaking the glass and sending him out of the cell setting the alarm off.

Emma took the opportunity, seeing that Loki was still trying to get on his feet, to run out of the room and to where she thought they were keeping Thor.

She ran as fast as her feet allowed her to but she felt Loki very close behind her; she could even hear his breathing. At one point she turned in one corner and sped up as she realized she had reached the containment section. Thor had to be close.

"Thor! Thor!" She shouted without stopping "Thor!"

As looked around into the cells she didn't realized she had in fact, slowed down, making it easier to Loki to catch up with her, grabbing her by the arm and throwing her against the corridor wall.

"I thought you were going to give me a good beating" Loki mocked as he walked in that cat-like manner, approaching to her who was just standing up "Face it, Emma… you might have special powers but in the end you have the same weaknesses as any other common human… you are frail, emotive, visceral…"

"You are like that too, Loki… if you weren't then Thanos would not have been able to get into your mind so easily… you let him in… you wanted him to give you your purpose back… finding Eira… finding me was not enough… loving me was not enough!" She practically shouted at him as he closed the distance between them and grabbed her chin forcefully "My love for you was not enough" She said behind gritted teeth "And neither was the love your parents gave you… and Thor"

"Thanos was right about one thing" Loki told her looking deeply into her eyes and she waited for him to continue "You are very skilled at manipulating, and not just energy but everything and everyone around you…"

"Go to hell" She muttered

"I am already there" He snapped back

Emma saw him raising his sword, ready to finish her off but before he could terminate the blow, something smashed him on the side sending him flying down the corridor.

As Emma looked up to where the attack had come from, she saw Thor standing at the end of the hallway, calling Mjolnir back.

"Thor!" She exclaimed as he rushed towards her and helped her up

"Emma, are you alright? Did Loki hurt you?" Thor questioned filled with concern

"He has hurt me more than I could've ever imagined…" She almost whispered and then looked up at her friend "How did you get here? Weren't you in a cell or something?"

"Yes but not for long… I must speak to Fury about his guards… they are not as good as they think" He replied and she scoffed at it "You?"

"Long story… but you must know… Thanos wasn't fully controlling Loki at first, at least not when he brought us here…" Emma quickly finished explaining what had happened to Thor as they made her way out of the containment area and she then realized Loki's doings hurt him as much as they hurt her "I'm sorry, Thor… I wanted to believe there was an ounce of goodness left in him but… he fooled us all… he toyed with all that we feel for him, you and me especially"

"And now he is attempting to kill you" Thor stated and Emma nodded "Perhaps if we destroy the Infinity Gauntlet… or the Mind Gem at least" He proposed

"He would still be the same voracious, vainglorious and pompous megalomaniac…"

"Talking about me, are we not?" Loki's voice asked behind them but when they turned around, they saw nothing. It wasn't until they had looked back to the front when they saw him "Boo"

Grabbing Thor by the neck, he lifted him off the ground and threw him away.

"Thor!" Emma called

"Wait your turn, brother" Loki snapped and then looked back at Emma "Did you miss me?" Without letting her say or do anything, Loki punched Emma in the stomach, causing her to gasp for air and bend down in pain

He then pulled her hair, forcing her to look up at him and what she saw scared her to death: he had a manic look on his face, almost as if he were enjoying every part of this.

Pulling out the gun they had failed to take from her after capturing them, Emma lifted it and shot at Loki in the arm without hesitation.  
The god of mischief flinched a little and then, as the wound healed itself he looked up from the now inexistent injure to her face, a wicked grin on his face.

"Did you really think that would be enough to stop me?" He asked her but then saw her smile in return

"Not really… but this might…" Emma reached out to his abdomen and pressed her hand against the wound Thanos had inflicted on him before

Since it hadn't properly healed and had been caused by something unnatural, Emma knew it would be his vulnerable point. Loki howled in pain and released Emma's hair, backing off as she pointed the gun to his head.

"Emma!" She heard Thor calling out for her

"What is it?"

"We have a small problem"

And all of a sudden, Thor flew past her and Loki and crashed onto the floor a few feet away from them.

"Thor!" Emma exclaimed and looked at Loki for a second, noticing a small smile on his face but then, her whole attention diverted to where Thor's attacker had come from

"I believe you have been waiting for me" Thanos said with a boastful smile

* * *

"Attention, scattered Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents" Tony's voice came through everyone's communicators "The Sparrow is up in the air, ready to infiltrate the nest, what have you got, Hawkeye?"

"The camouflage system is activated, obviously but I know a few weak visible points so…" Clint stopped talking as he turned to his right and saw the air move strangely in one part of the sky "Uhmm… people? Hoping not to be mistaken, I believe the nest is one mile northeast from where I stand"

"Scan the area, JARVIS" Tony said and the device did so, showing the silhouette of the helicarrier on the infrared scanner at the flight panel "Yep, that's the nest alright… Tide, hit it, we need the pilots to move a little so we can approach the west side of the carrier without being noticed"

"You got it" Adrianna replied and then, with a swift move of her hands, a strong, yet conspicuous gust of wind surrounded the three of them atop the tower "Is the carrier moving, Stark?"

"A little… direct the squall to your two o'clock and then change the direction of the air so it drags the carrier towards the tower" Tony instructed

"Copy" She simply said and then did as Tony had told her

"Barton, look!" Bruce pointed at the sky and both Avengers were able to see the change in the pattern of the welkin above them

"You've got it, Nan… we can see it" Clint commended her and she nodded

"Fury, Coulson. Get out of the building and get their attention. We need Barton, Moore and Banner on the runway in less than a minute, before they discover us" Steve ordered

"Sure, cap" Fury responded and with a nod, he and Coulson made their way out of the lobby of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Tower, getting into plain sight for the Skrulls to find them "Hey! You!" A couple of the Skrull soldiers turned their way "Yeah, you… we want to talk to Thanos… I mean, with the Eternal…"

"With what purpose?" One of the Skrulls' raspy, squeaky voice asked

"We want to join you… him… he's great, you know?" Coulson babbled

"Is that how you ask a girl out, Coulson?" The agent could hear Tony ask but Coulson ignored him

"The Masterlord Thanos will be glad to add you to his lines" A second Skrull told them

Fury and Coulson saw the alien creature take something out of its pocket and when they realized what it was, they hurried to stop it.

"No… no, please… we want to meet him… to… offer him our allegiance in person…" Fury said

"No one faces the Eternal without his consent" The Skrull explained

"Not even if it is the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Coulson suggested gaining the alien's attention

After a moment of silence, the Skrull nodded and lowered both the weapon and the shard of the Tesseract "Come" He commanded

Fury looked at Coulson for a moment and whispered "Good one"

The agent nodded in appreciation as they followed the group of Skrulls.

* * *

"Excellent" Tony exclaimed "They are taking them to Thanos"

"Guys… what assures us that Thanos and Loki are in the helicarrier?" Natasha suddenly asked and after exchanging glances with Tony, they both turned to Steve

"Nothing but we have no other choice" The captain told them and then nodded "Barton, Moore, Banner, are you in position?"

"Yes" Barton answered "We can see the top of the helicarrier, it's right at the penthouse level"

"So you're above it… jump on it" Natasha said

"Yeah, sure…" Adrianna replied sarcastically looking down at the concrete surface of the carrier's runway

"Easier said than done" Tony heard Bruce saying

"C'mon, big guy; you don't have much time" Stark encouraged them

"Ok, here we go…" Clint said and turned to Adrianna "You go first"

With a hesitative nod, Adrianna took Clint's hand and with a bit of impulse from his part, she jumped and landed successfully on top of the helicarrier.

"You're next, doc" Clint then helped Bruce in the same way and the doctor landed much less gracefully than Adrianna

But then, just as Clint prepared to jump after them, Natasha saw the helicarrier moving away from the tower "Barton, jump now!"

"What? Why?" He asked

"The carrier is moving, Hawk!" Tony shouted

"Damn it… ok… ok… here I go…"

And then, he jumped but instead of making it to the runway, he hit the edge of the carrier, falling off it and barely being able to grab onto the ledge.

"Clint!" Adrianna yelled rushing to him followed by Bruce "Take my hand!"

Swinging from side to side, Clint was able to take Adrianna's hand while Bruce pulled him up.

"Guys? Are you still there? What happened?" Tony asked frantically

"We're ok" Bruce answered "Barton made it"

"Ok. You know what to do next" Steve told them

"Yeah, sure…" Clint said exhaling and looking over at his teammates "Thanks… both of you"

"Anytime, Barton" Bruce said and rushed to the nearest top hatch

"Don't you dare scaring me like that ever again" Adrianna reprimanded Clint hitting him in the arm

"I'll try not to" He joked and then they followed Bruce who had opened the hatch "Why did the carrier move?" He questioned the others

"Because Fury and Coulson are already in" Natasha informed and heard Adrianna whistle

"Yeah, I know… who could've thought they could be of some use?" Tony jested but no one laughed

"Mr. Stark" Steve called his attention "You might want to prep. Agent Romanoff and I going into the lab side; we need to know if it's clear"

"Roger that… Rogers" Tony responded and after opening the quinjet's back door, he flew out

Less than two minutes later, Black Widow and Captain America were receiving confirmation from Iron Man to approach their destination.

Fury and Coulson were led down the steel reinforced corridors by only a couple of Skrulls so they knew it was their chance. The colonel nodded at his subordinate and then both of them, unsheathing their concealed weapons, started shooting at the alien creatures.

A few more came their way followed by several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Coulson shot at the Skrulls while Fury knocked the agents out, not wanting to hurt his people.  
Once they had made sure no one else was coming, they gathered a few more guns and ran towards the bridge.

The infiltration was on track.

* * *

**Sweet Lord Jesus!**  
**Ok, I'm on a rush right now!**  
**Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to review!**

**Love you lots!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	27. 26 Go, Kermit!

**Hello, my darlings. It's time for a new chappie! ;)**

**Thanks to Peace and Blessings, Steph the bat 11, KiyUzumaki, Sulpicia Volturi.001 and StepiLady for your reviews :).**

**I don't have much to say today because this chapter... well... this chapter... *blows nose* you'll see in a minute...**

**The song of the day is: Mercy In Darkness by Two Steps From Hell. Seriously, listen to it while reading this... BUAAAAAAAAA!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY SIX – GO, KERMIT!**

"I will deal with this mad Titan" Thor told Emma as he scrambled up to his feet with Mjolnir in hand

Thanos had walked down to them and with a single look had encouraged Loki to continue his attack on Emma who kept her stand and continued to point her gun at him.

"Silly human" Emma heard Thanos mumble mockingly, almost as if he pitied her

Impulsed by the rage inside of her, a large force field began forming around her covering all four of them.

"Emma, what are you doing?" Thor asked in shock as he watched her striving

"She doesn't even know how her own powers work!" Thanos guffawed making fun of her but without realizing what she was actually trying to do

Suddenly, the force field shifted into an energy projection and with one last push, blew up, sending the four of them flying towards the bridge.  
All the agents there had ran out in panic not knowing what was happening so there were only them in the flight room.

Loki felt himself hit the ground and losing his sword. Everything around him was spinning and as he tried to adjust his focus he saw that Thanos was already standing up. He had lost his smile and was ready to attack Emma.  
Scanning the room, Loki couldn't find her; he only saw Thor, one knee on the ground, leaning on Mjolnir for support.

"Emma? Emma!" The god of thunder called in a frenzy

"Maybe she is dead" Thanos suddenly said behind him and when he turned around, the mad Titan punched him in the face, throwing him a few yards away from him "I will kill you so you can join her, Aesir" Thanos continued as he made his way to Thor

But Thor wouldn't have any of it. He swung Mjolnir and threw it with all his might at Thanos, crashing him against one of the steel columns.

While Thor kept himself occupied with Thanos, Loki searched the room for Emma.  
She wasn't going to die that easily, no. Thanos' command had been to make her suffer and that was what he was going to do.

Hearing some noises coming from under a pile of rubble, Loki marched up to it and after little digging, found her.  
Mercilessly, he surrounded her throat with his hand and lifted her up from the debris, then throwing her to the floor where she moaned and winced in pain.  
Luckily for him, Lævateinn, his sword was very near that spot so, after retrieving it, he walked back to where Emma laid.

"I promised you pain, did I not?" He said lifting the sword, ready to impale her with it

A single tear rolled down Emma's face and onto the dusty floor as she saw how Loki was about to end with her life.  
Giving him one last, honest smile, Emma closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate and the last thing she knew was the sound of the blade cutting through the air.  
But the pain never came nor that matter.

As Loki held the sword high, he looked down at her with the conviction of taking her life only that, as he thrust the sword downwards, something hit the metal blade, deflecting strike.

Looking at the direction whence it came from Loki felt the blood in his veins begin to boil.

"And you promised her not to hurt her" The defender said

"You" He hissed

"Yes. Me" Captain America retorted catching his shield back "You'll have to kill me first before touching another hair in her head" He threatened

"With pleasure" Loki said, jumping up to the upper level of the control room and landing in front of Steve "I am so going to enjoy this"

And with that, Loki threw the first blow at Captain America who covered himself with the shield and then returned the strike, hitting Loki in the face and tossing him away.

Meanwhile, Iron Man had also gotten to the bridge along with Black Widow.

"Hawkeye, where are you?" Tony asked

"We're struggling with a few Skrulls, why? You miss us?" Barton replied

"Nah, not really but we need a favor; trace all the shards. We need as much of the Tesseract as we can if we are to destroy the Gauntlet" Iron Man instructed and then turned to Natasha "Go and find Fury and Coulson and do the same. The Skrulls have the shards"

Natasha nodded and got ready to go but then she asked "What about you?"

"I think Point Break needs my help" He told her eyeing the battle ensuing between the god of thunder and the mad Titan and with a nod, Black Widow was gone "Ok, children, daddy's home and he wants to join the party!" Tony remarked and flew over to Thanos, knocking him down and offering Thor a hand to get up "Thought you might need a hand, handyman"

"Yes, I think I might, Stark. Thank you" Thor replied calling Mjolnir back and then facing Thanos "Where are the others?"

"Oh, you know us… here and there… wreaking havoc around the carrier" Iron Man said and received a smile from the son of Odin

"Who dares to stand up against the power of Thanos?" The Eternal shouted with rage and raising the Gauntlet in his hand menacingly

"I think you have upset him, my friend" Thor told Tony

"Yeah, right, blame it all on me" The multibillionaire replied and loaded several weapons along his suit of armor "Ok, Barney… get ready because…"

He couldn't finish his threat. Thanos had shot him one of his red rays, slamming him against the wall.

"He is annoying" Thanos commented

"Sometimes… but you are worse" Thor said and summoned down a very strong lightning bolt and shot it straight at the Titan

At first it seemed like the electricity was wearing Thanos down but then, straightening up, he extended his gloved hand out and sucked on the power of the lightning into the Gauntlet much to Thor's consternation.

"A small spark is not enough to defeat me, Thor Odinson" Thanos laughed

And then, the room was practically swarmed by Skrulls.

"That was not nice…" Tony complained as he ejected himself from his engraved position on the wall and then realized of the situation at hand "Uh-oh… Banner? Banner, can you hear me?"

"He's hulked out" He heard Adrianna reply "And I think he's going your way"

The floor began shaking as well as the walls and while Iron Man and Thor fought the Skrulls off and Steve battled Loki, the Hulk rammed through the wall, knocking several of the reptilian humanoids down in the process just like bowling pins.

"Go, Kermit!" Tony exclaimed as he shot a few small caliber missiles at some of the Skrulls

* * *

A few levels below, Natasha had finally found Fury and Coulson and after defeating many of Thanos' Skrulls they had gathered about half of the Tesseract worth in shards.

"Barton and Moore are at the docking level. We need to get their share of the Tesseract and bring it back down to the bridge" Natasha told the colonel and the agent

"Romanoff, you go. Coulson and I are taking on the firing quarters so we can kill some of the Skrulls that are still down in the city"

Natasha nodded and then rushed away.

* * *

"Clint, get down!" Adrianna shouted and shot several fireballs at the horde of Skrulls that were racing against them "Where do these things keep coming from?" She asked as she shot a few bullets at the enemies

"It's as if they divided themselves…" Clint pointed out

"Oh, you mean like mitosis?" She asked him arrogantly

"Don't brag, smarty pants" He joked at the same time he shot an arrow without looking at his target

"Look who's talking" She replied

Clint lost his smile as one of the aliens charged against Adrianna. Pushing her in a spin behind him, he shot an arrow at a very close range making it go straight through the Skrull's head.

"Thanks" She said and then saw Natasha rushing to them "Where are the others?"

"The Captain, Stark, Thor and Banner are at the bridge fighting Thanos and Loki and Fury and Coulson headed to the firing quarters to fend the city off" Black Widow explained as she got rid of several Skrulls

"And Emma?" Clint asked

"Didn't see her" She said "Stark said we need as many Tesseract shards as possible"

"Yeah, we already got a few" Adrianna replied

"How few?"

"About a third of the Tesseract. We have managed to practically take a shard from every single thing we've killed off so far" Clint explained

"Wait… that's perfect!" Adrianna exclaimed

"What is?" Natasha questioned

Before Adrianna could answer, one of the Skrulls charged against her without her noticing and without remedy thrust the long, thick blade that merged with its arm.  
The blade went all the way through her chest as her eyes widened in both shock and pain.

"No!" Clint shouted rushing to her, annihilating several Skrulls along the way

"Adrianna!" Natasha yelled shooting at the enemy at the same time

Clint got to where Adrianna was and with his dagger cut the alien's arm off and then slit its throat, killing it instantly.  
He caught her in his arms as the blood started oozing in massive amounts out of Adrianna's chest.

"Get her into that room! I'll cover you!" Natasha told him

Without having to hear it again, Clint picked her up in his arms and ran into the nearest room which happened to be a small arsenal.  
Natasha came running through the door and locked it as Clint placed Adrianna carefully down on the floor.  
She was coughing and her cheeks had turned completely pale. Cold sweat dewed her forehead and her whole body trembled.

"Nan…" Clint started feeling completely helpless

"It's alright…" Adrianna said and coughed once again; this time, blood starting to slide down the corner of her mouth "I… I'm not afraid…"

"No… no, don't say that… you're gonna be ok, you hear me? You hear me?" He insisted

"When… did you… become such… an optimist?" She managed to smile as she gasped repeatedly and then felt a sting of pain shooting through her body, losing her weak smile "The shards…"

"Don't speak. You can explain everything later…" Clint interrupted her but Natasha called his attention

"Clint…" She whispered and he saw her shaking her head

"Thanos must be keeping all the shards in the carrier, near him…" Adrianna coughed once more "He wouldn't… he wouldn't risk having them away… not with… the Avengers on the loose"

"That's why we have found at least one shard in every lizard we've killed" Natasha pointed out and Adrianna nodded

They saw Adrianna reach down to her pocket and pull out the shard she had been keeping and then hand it to Natasha "You know what to do"

With sadness, yet full of conviction, Natasha took the shard from Adrianna's hand and nodded solemnly.

"Nan…" Clint softly said, caressing her cheek

"I am at peace, Clint" She suddenly said with tears in her eyes "I have paid for my sins and now I am at peace"

"No, don't say that, please…" He begged, taking her hand and pressing it against his face

"I only regret one thing" Clint's eyes welling up with tears "Being away from you for so long… I would give anything to have been able to spend more time with you…"

"Adrianna… please…"

"I love you so much…" She sobbed rubbing her thumb over his cheek "So much…"

Clint bent down and tenderly pressed his lips against hers containing a sob "I love you, Nan… I always will"

"Thank you" Adrianna replied and then, losing her smile, gasped quickly for air as life started to leave her body

Closing her eyes, the tears abandoning her brown orbs and never opening them again.

"Adrianna?" Clint called shaking her slightly "Adrianna? Nan… Nan!"

Natasha couldn't hold the tears back as she saw her friend's fire light out "Clint…"

"No… she's not dead… she's not… no!" He yelled, pulling Adrianna's immobile body up and embracing it tightly, as if his own life depended on it

* * *

Iron Man shot repeatedly at the creatures, practically frying them in the air, the electric blue shards being the only thing that remained from them.

Hulk had smashed his way to Thanos, eliminating several Skrulls in the process and was now fighting against the Titan while Steve and Loki continued to fight and Thor sneaked towards Emma who, at this point had stood up and started fighting some of the aliens off.

"Stark said we need the shards to destroy the Gauntlet" Thor informed her pressing his back against hers, guarding off opposite sides

"But the Tesseract wouldn't be complete" She replied

"No but it would be bigger and more powerful than the Mind Gem" Thor told her and she nodded

"Good because I've gathered as many as I've been able so far" Emma said, pulling out a handful of blue crystal shards out of her pocket. She then looked up and saw Steve struggling with Loki "Cover me, please" She told Thor and he nodded while she ran to the upper level of the room

* * *

Loki hit Captain America in the face with the hilt of his sword and as the blow sent the Avenger backwards, the god of mischief rushed forward, attempting to stab his opponent with his blade but the Captain was faster, raising his shield and deflecting the sharp weapon.

"A simple shield will not defeat me, soldier" Loki threatened

"Didn't think it would" Steve snapped back, charging against Loki and punching him in the face and abdomen, making him slam against the metal rail "You have been planning this from the beginning, haven't you?" He interrogated "Make us believe that you had changed so you could bring your friend once we felt safe… try to take over the world once more… aren't you tired of trying and failing so many consecutive times?" Steve continued as he punched him a couple of times more

Loki remained silent as he received the beating from Captain America but then took his chance when Steve raised his arm and kicked him straight in the chest, forcing him to back away and lounging himself against the hero, pressing the sharp edge of the blade against Steve's neck.

"Your race will kneel before me" Loki hissed

"Don't you have another speech?" He heard someone besides him ask and as he turned to his side he saw Emma and then the energy projection she shoot at him and ended up throwing him away from the Captain. Emma rushed to Steve to see if he was alright "Did he hurt you?"

"No… you saved me" He replied, giving her a sweet smile

"I was paying back a favor" She teased and then saw Loki rising from the ground "This is enough, Loki" She warned

"It is never enough" Loki answered menacingly "It will never be enough"

Suddenly, they saw the Hulk flying over their heads and crashing obstreperously against the farthest wall.  
As they looked back to each other, Loki smirked and then backhanded Emma across the face with such strength that she ended up going above the rail and falling onto the lowest level of the bridge, near the large window.

"Emma!" Steve called but Loki continued to attack him, preventing him from aiding her

* * *

Meanwhile, Thor had finished off with the Skrulls and after Thanos had gotten rid of the Hulk he had taken the latter's place against the Titan.

"Stop this madness, Thanos, before it is too late" Thor cautioned

"Too late for what? For this miserable planet to survive? You think I care about these humans?" Thanos snickered loudly at the hilarity of the idea "I care about no one…"

Pointing the Infinity Gauntlet at Thor, Thanos shot him an orange colored ray and then Thor felt as if he was frozen in time. Everything around him seemed to be moving at a normal pace but he just couldn't move a muscle.

"That is the power of the Time Gem, Odinson… I had been yearning to use it for a long time…" Thanos taunted approaching to him "I could kill you so easily… all I have to do is raise this hand" He displayed the Gauntlet before the helpless god of thunder. He then saw the red gem starting to glow more and more with each moment "Bye-bye, Thor"

As he intended to shoot the deadly ray at Thor, Thanos saw his attempt frustrated by a weak blast which hit him right in the arm, parrying the red blast from Thor.

With a growl, Thanos looked back at the source of the deflection and saw that it was Emma who was trying to get up and had her hand extended towards him; it had been her who had shot him one of her energy projections.

"Why can't you just be a good girl and die?" The Titan exclaimed exasperated leaving the immobile Thor's side and marching over to where Emma desperately trying to scramble up. He grinned down at her, grabbed her by the collar of her jumpsuit and lifted her effortlessly from the ground, pulling her closer to his ugly, purple face and burying his glowing red eyes into her own dark green "I hope, for your sake that one of your powers is to fly"

Widening her eyes in fear, Emma felt Thanos winnowing her against the glass of the large window.

"Emma!" Both Steve and Tony shouted in unison as they watched her disappear from sight and into the void

* * *

**Whoa... lots of action, huh? And a very sad event... I am sorry, please don't kill me... *hides behind Captain America's shield***

**Thank you so much for reading and for your reviews... we are only a couple of chapters away from the end so, stick around, darlings!**

**Lots of love!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	28. 27 I'm Asking You Out For A Coffee

**Good evening, my beloved and amazing readers... I am overwhelmed by the amount of reviews the last chapter got... I am touched, really and truly... you guys are so amazing because you've stayed with me through delays, grammar mistakes, loads of randomness and rambling from this pathetic and yet very enthusiastic writers... I love you all so much... more than these simple and plain words can express, seriously, you are the best of the best!**

**Peace and Blessings, dragonrain618, Terra3434, GeishaXnoXHimitsu, SayaRavenHope, , KiyUzumaki, StepiLady, HSky16, AccioVoldemortsNose, Taeniea and teatiime, thank you all so much... I LOVE YOU!**

**Ok, so... you must know... counting this chapter we are only 4 chapters and 1 epilogue away from the end so... yeah... you don't wanna miss a word, mark my words ;)**

**The song of the day is: Heart Of Courage by Two Steps From Hell. (Btw, I honestly hope you do listen to the song suggestions because I choose them specifically to set the mood for the chapter... sometimes they are regular songs with lyrics and all but most of the times they are epic scores which help recreate the atmosphere of the moment or the scene or whatever so, yeah, if you want to feel a little more like... in the place or as if you were watching a film, I highly recommend you look them up and listen to them. In case you don't find them or you like them a lot and you want to have them, send me a PM and I'll send them to you; I have them all LOL). See? I ramble way too much for my own sake *blushes***

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN – I'M ASKING YOU OUT FOR A COFFEE**

Clint placed Adrianna's body down, wiped his tears off and sniffled loudly, standing up while Natasha just watched.

"We need to get all the shards and put them back together" Clint recited robotically

"Yes" Natasha nodded and then reached out to pat him in the shoulder "Clint…"

"Don't, Nat… thank you but just… don't" He replied and she gave him a single nod in understanding "Stark"

"Yes" Tony answered breathing heavily

"We have about two thirds of the Tesseract in shards, Stark; counting Fury's share" Clint cut him off and Tony understood

"Good. We almost have the other third except for the Gem in Thanos' glove… get to the bridge and…"

Suddenly, the transmission was cut "Stark? Stark! Damn it. We need to get to the bridge now" Clint told Natasha. He kneeled next to Adrianna and kissed her on the forehead "I'll come back for you" He promised her and then they rushed out, charging against all the Skrulls that continued to attack them.

* * *

"Emma!" Tony shouted and seeing Steve still struggling against Loki, he decided to jump after Emma

He flew towards the shattered window, ready to catch up with her but a tight grip around his iron ankle stopped him and pulled him back, slamming him against the floor.

"Oh, no, you are not" Thanos told him, stepping on his armored arm

Iron Man tried to shot a ray at Thanos but the Titan dodged it and laughed loudly at him.

Unexpectedly, the Hulk rammed Thanos, getting him off Tony and punching him repeatedly in the face.

As Iron Man stood up, he turned to the Hulk and the big green rage monster told him "Emma"

Nodding, Tony resumed his rescue and flew out the window. For seconds he couldn't see Emma anywhere and he feared he might've been too late but then, after going through a cloud he saw her freefalling at maximum speed towards the city.

"Emma!" Tony called and she looked up "I'm coming, kid"

"Tony!" She replied, stretching her hand upwards, trying to reach for him

"Almost… almost…" He said behind gritted teeth

As the tips of their fingers touched, something appeared out of nowhere, taking Emma and flying her up, back to the bridge.

"What the…?" Tony muttered stopping abruptly and looking up, seeing a flash of green fabric "Loki…" He deduced "Cap? Captain, what happened?"

* * *

Back in the bridge, Steve was almost knocked out after Loki had managed to hit him repeatedly in the head and then flown out of the window after Tony and Emma.

"Stark" He mumbled, standing up "Loki… he's after you"

"Yeah, I noticed…" Tony rushed after Loki and saw Emma struggling to get free from his tight grip around her waist

"Get off me!" She shouted, kicking and punching "Let go of me!"

"Silence!" Loki commended harshly and then got hit by one of Iron Man's rays, making him let go of Emma

Screaming in panic, Emma fell back downwards until Tony caught her and took her back up to the bridge.

"Thanks" She told Tony as he put her down on the floor and then saw her widening her eyes "Tony, look out!"

Loki came flying through the glass and sent Tony to the other side of the room.

"Why did you come after me?" Emma asked Loki as he walked to her menacingly "I thought you wanted me dead"

"I do… but I want to kill you myself" Out of nowhere, his sword appeared and he was ready to thrust it in her heart

Determined to put an end to all of it, Emma stood there, watching him intently as he closed the distance between them. But then stopped seeing she wasn't moving; she wasn't even trying to fight him off "Are you not going to run?" He asked her and she shook her head in response

"Not anymore" She told him serenely

"Do you wish to die?" He questioned

"If it makes you happy"

Loki furrowed his brow at this. Why was she giving up?  
Steve, who had stood up and leaned against the rail and was looking down on them.

"Emma!" He called and as she looked up and gave him a sweet smile, he saw Loki moving forward, pointing the sword at her "Emma, no!"

As in slow motion, Steve jumped off the rail, landing on the lower level and running towards them. He watched as Loki rushed forward, ready to kill Emma and how she just stood there, unphased.  
He feared he wouldn't make it on time and as Loki raised the sword, Steve got in between them, protecting her and himself with his shield.

The hit of Lævateinn against the vibranium shield caused a massive energy wave, pushing Loki to one side and Steve and Emma to the other.

From her spot on the floor, protected by Steve, Emma blinked repeatedly trying to take in what had just happened.

"Steve?" She called

"Emma… are you alright?" He asked standing up and helping her to do so as well

"Yeah, you?" He nodded and then she looked over at where Loki was "Steve, look…"

Both of them were shocked to see Loki, with one knee on the floor and staring down at the sword in his hand, or what was left of it, for that matter.  
After hitting Steve's shield and receiving the energy blast the blow had caused, the blade had practically shattered into several pieces.

"How did you do that?" Emma asked the captain

"I don't know…"

Loki looked outraged as he looked up at them "Stupid mortals!"

Suddenly, Emma noticed how Loki howled in pain and held his head with his hands as he convulsed violently.

"What's going on?" Emma asked and rushed to him

"Emma!" Steve tried to stop her but the only thing he could do was follow after her

"Loki… Loki, what's the matter?" She questioned kneeling next to him. He looked up at her, his electric blue eyes glowing more than ever

"Mind your own business, wench!" He roared at her and then slapped her across the face, throwing her backwards

Steve, in retaliation grabbed Loki's collar and punched him in the face.  
Looking up behind her, Emma saw that the Hulk was practically smashing the Gauntlet in Thanos' hand and then looking over at Thor she realized that he had started moving. An idea hit her.

"Steve, stop!" She told him gaining his attention "I've got an idea… hold him down"

With a nod, Steve did as he was told and saw Emma reach out for one of the pieces of Loki's ruined sword.

"What are you doing?" He asked her

"Just trust me, ok?"

Sneaking up behind Thanos, while the Hulk continued to punch him, Emma raised the piece of the blade and got ready to hit the Mind Gem in the Infinity Gauntlet but Thanos noticed her presence, turned around and grabbed her by the neck, squeezing extremely hard as he shot a red blast at the Hulk, throwing him off of him.

"Thought you could kill me? Perhaps I should have killed you myself from the beginning, Midgardian" He told her baring his teeth as he squeezed harder and harder, making it impossible for her to breathe

A smile appeared on her almost blue face as Thor, released from Thanos' curse, rushed to them and hit the Titan in the back of the head with Mjolnir.  
Feeling the Eternal's grasp loosen, Emma kicked him in the chest, propelling herself off his reach and then spinning around in the air, using the piece of blade to cut Thanos' hand at the wrist.

* * *

Fury and Coulson had already settled in the firing quarters and with the large machine guns in hand had managed to kill many of the Skrulls that continued to patrol the City of New York.

"How many have you taken down, Coulson?" Fury asked seemingly (and oddly) having a good time

"No less than thirty, sir" Coulson couldn't contain a small smile "How about you?"

"I'm on my sixty fourth right…" He paused as he pulled the trigger and then finished his sentence "Now"

As they continued with their city siege from the skies, Coulson suddenly noticed something happening to all the humans in sight.

"Director, look!" He said pointing at the streets below them

"What the…?" Fury started but was at a loss of words at the sight before them "What's happening to them?"

"They… they seem to be falling to the ground…"

"Yes, Coulson, I realize that… but… wait…" The colonel zoomed in with the spectacles and noticed something changing in them "Their eyes… Coulson, look at their eyes!"

Coulson did as he was told and as he did so he was just as surprised as his boss "The blue is gone!"

"The blue is gone" Fury repeated "Stark! Rogers! Can anybody hear me?"

* * *

Natasha and Clint had put the pieces of the Tesseract they had back together and just like they had calculated, the Cosmic Cube was almost complete. All they were missing were the shards Tony and the others had gathered and of course, the Mind Gem.

In absolute silence they strode down several corridors trying to get to the bridge without once encountering neither Skrulls nor agents until they reached the level below the bridge when a large group of agents charged against them.

Black Widow shot at repeatedly but only hitting them in specific zones with the only intention of taking them down. Hawkeye tried to do the same but he knew that any hit marked by his arrows would be fatal so, using his knives and hand-to-hand fighting skills, he knocked several down.

This was, of course until they heard Fury calling at someone through their earpieces but it was unintelligible.

"Director, repeat" Natasha requested but only static came through

"Natasha, behind you!" Barton shouted at her

Turning around, with the intention of shooting whoever meant to attack her, she saw that the agent who had been charging against her only seconds before had now stopped, placed his hands on the sides of his head and then fallen to the ground, convulsing grotesquely.

As both Avengers looked around them they realized that every single hexed S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the room was suffering the same strange signs.

"What's happening to them?" Clint asked as he walked up to stand next to Natasha

"I don't know…" She mumbled and then, after hearing an ear piercing sound, she adjusted her earpiece "Who is this?" She asked

"Romanoff, can you hear me?" Director Fury's voice came through

"I hear you, director" Natasha replied "Something's happening to all the hypnotized agents, sir, maybe you could…"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you! It is happening to the people in the city too" Fury exclaimed

"What is?" Clint asked

"The blue in their eyes is gone! The hex is gone"

* * *

"No!" Thanos screamed in pain, rage and despair holding on to the stump at the end of his arm where his hand had been up until a few seconds before "No! Mindless whore, look what you have done!" He shouted at Emma as she backed away from him "I am going to rend your head off!"

The mad Titan attempted to get to her but Thor and Hulk held him back, pinning him down on the ground while he struggled.

"Emma" She suddenly heard Steve calling behind her and, as she looked towards him, she saw Loki lying unconscious on the floor

Looking up at Steve for a moment and seeing him nod at her she rushed to where they were and kneeled next to Loki, taking his hand in hers.

"He stopped convulsing as soon as you cut Thanos' hand off" Steve informed her

"As soon as he wasn't under the Gem's control" Emma deduced without taking her eyes off Loki "Loki… Loki, can you hear me?" But he wouldn't answer; he wouldn't even open his eyes "Did it kill him? The hex… did it…?" She mumbled looking back at Thanos but he conveyed nothing on his face but pure rage "Loki…" She whispered and then reached out to touch his face "Do you remember… when I first came to Asgard?" Steve frowned at hearing this and glanced back at Thor who only shook his head in response "Do you remember how much you disliked me? And… how much I disliked you? Just like when we first met here in Midgard…" She managed a chuckle as tears began falling from her green eyes "And… and…" She stammered "Do you remember those two promises you made? Huh? Loki? Do you remember?" After a loud sniff, she continued "The first promise… you said you wouldn't die… and the second one… you promised me you wouldn't hurt me… and you know what? You are breaking both! And I refuse to accept that, you hear me?" Emma was freely weeping and after getting no response she started hitting Loki in the chest "Do you hear me, stupid, twit, moron, selfish, idiot, imbecile, lying piece of scum?" She shouted and then leaned her head on his chest which wasn't ascending nor descending "Do you hear me, Loki?" She sobbed clinging onto his Asgardian leather attire

"Em…" Tony tried to say but then realized it would be of no use and then turned to Thanos "How do we take the piece of the Tesseract out of the Gauntlet?" He asked taciturnly but the Titan didn't reply so, bringing a hand up, Iron Man shot a ray straight at his face, slightly stunning him "Tell me how or I swear to God I'm gonna…"

"Are you threatening me, earthling?" Thanos half grinned

"No, I'm asking you out for a coffee, darling" Tony snapped back sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the purple skinned alien "How do we take the shard out of your very gay glove?"

Thanos' body shook with laughter but Thor silenced him with a punch in the jaw "Answer him. How do we remove the Gem from the Gauntlet?" The god of thunder pressed

"You can't" Thanos answer after a moment in silence

"What do you mean we can't?" Steve questioned making his way to the Eternal

"What I mean is that… you simply cannot remove it… you would need something as powerful as… let us say… the Tesseract to extract it" He mocked them

"Funny you say that" They all heard Natasha saying from the entrance

As they turned they saw that Clint was holding the almost complete Tesseract in his hands. All that was missing were the pieces the other had collected along with the Gem.

While Natasha and Clint marched towards Tony the team noticed there was someone missing.

"Barton, Romanoff, where is Moore?" Steve asked but neither gave him an answer

"Guys, where's Adrianna?" Tony insisted and then saw Clint lower his head while Natasha could only shake hers, wordlessly letting them know what had happened to her "No… impossible…"

"I'm afraid it isn't" Clint finally said sternly and placed the Tesseract on the floor between Iron Man and Thanos "Just send this bastard to hell" He told Tony and the latter nodded

"You were saying, Barney?" Tony asked amused by the surprised look on Thanos' face "Now… we can actually use the Tesseract and kill you with it or you behave like a good boy and tell us how to extract the Gem with it, what's it gonna be?"

Thanos' face returned to its natural arrogant mask and suddenly stood up, hitting Thor and the Hulk out of the way and setting himself free. Raising his stumpy, bloody arm, they all suddenly saw how fingers had starting coming out of the wound and then the rest of the hand until the limb was completely restored.  
Seeing the look on the Avengers' faces, Thanos couldn't help to boast out in laughter.

"How come such stupid creatures like yourselves became this planet's saviors, huh? Why do you heroes continue to underestimate you opponents?" He asked as if he pitied them all

Out of the palm of his newly created hand, Thanos shot two power balls, one at Thor and one at the Hulk making sure that the team's muscle and brawl were out of the game. He then turned to Natasha and punched her in the abdomen, sending her flying to the upper deck of the room.  
Outraged, Clint tried to shoot one of his deadliest arrows at the Titan but the enemy was too fast and too strong, reaching for Hawkeye's arm, twisting it backwards and then spinning him around until he had enough impulse to throw him against the farthest steel wall.

"Rogers, protect Emma!" Iron Man instructed as he flew the short distance between himself and Thanos, trying to tackle him

"C'mon, Emma" Steve said, taking her by the arm and intending to lead her to a safer place but she remained unmovable "Emma, please"

"No. I am not leaving Loki" She said adamantly

With a frustrated sigh, the star spangled man nodded and took Loki by the arms, practically dragging him out of the center of the room with Emma following suit but she wouldn't make it.  
Just as Steve put Loki down on the floor he looked behind him and saw that Tony and his armor were virtually being destroyed by the Titan's rage and then, after taking Tony out and dropping him on the ground he went straight after Emma, grabbing her hand and spinning her around to face him.

"Emma!" Steve shouted making his way to her

"I command death, stupid girl… you cannot kill me…" Thanos told Emma grabbing her jaw with his hand while he continued to twist one of her arms behind her back

"Maybe… but you don't control the power of the Gauntlet anymore" She defied back

"Oh, you are too brave for your own sake, Emma…" He mocked as he called her by her name

"I always thought that" A very well-known voice to Emma said behind her but she couldn't believe it; not until she saw him with her own eyes

"I only want you to die. Is that too much to ask?" Thanos complained annoyed and the voice responded

"I do not know… you command death, you tell me"

Without letting the Titan reply, the owner of the voice shot a bladed disk at Thanos' hand causing him to drop Emma to the floor.  
She looked back and up and saw Loki standing there, leaning on Steve for support.

"Loki" She gasped not being able to contain the smile that curled up in her lips

"I remember my promises, Emma" He smiled back at her "And I intend to keep them" He saw the tears glistening in her emerald eyes "Now, get the Gauntlet" Loki instructed her and she nodded "This is my battle" As she rushed away she looked at Steve with something that he could only understand as gratefulness "Captain…" Loki said gaining his attention

"Yes?"

"I believe I will be needing your help" The god of mischief admitted and the soldier nodded

"So it has come to this, Jöttun" Thanos challenged

"No… I am no Jöttun" Loki responded and after a pause in which Thanos gave him the most puzzled of his looks, he continued "I am an Asgardian"

* * *

**I'm just way too cruel, aren't I? I mean, one moment I'm making you love Loki and then I make you hate him and then I make you love him again and so on and so on... oh, God, I love writing! LOL**

**Thank you so much, yet again and please, don't forget to review... I love reading what you think... even if it's just about the weather *lmao***

**I'll see you very, very soon, my darlings!**  
**Lots of love!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**


	29. 28 Am I A Zombie?

**Good evening, everyone.  
First of all, like I said in the impromptu review I was forced to write yesterday I would like you to know how I feel about all of you who, instead of giving constructive criticism decide to turn to the dark side (I know it's tempting, they have cookies) and give DESTRUCTIVE criticism. Believe me, I have nothing against other people's opinions and likes and dislikes; I have a very high respect for it, because I truly believe in diversity of opinions but this is just ridiculous. What this person (who I will not name, she's not worth it) tries to do it put everybody else down because of her lack of selfesteem, confidence, talent and ability and of course, hurting and offending and bashing other people is much easier than taking a look in the mirror and change whatever it is that bothers you about yourself, right? Usually I would just reply by PM and that'd be it but I think this time this person went too far, especially because I felt, like I said in the review that she was insulting you, my amazing and beloved readers by telling me not to believe in what you say to me in your comments. That was enough for me to get as green as the Hulk and make my reply public.  
I want you to know, because I know several of you, if not all, are writing and have stories here in and I think it's important that you know that this person (you can read her username in the reviews, again, I won't bother) has done this repeatedly. She goes around reading random fics and bashing them, making it look like she knows best so, be very, very careful and either, ignore her, report her or simply put her in her place LOL.  
I want to thank those who have commented about the situation and have stood up for me; you don't know what it means to me and of course, it makes it amazingly clear how intelligent you guys are... LOL ;)**

**Now... forgetting about that very unpleasant event...**

**Berianireth of Lorien, Steph the bat 11, outthere101, lost-sentiments, Leigh Tate, , MoonLight Crystal, LauDuJardin (thank you so much for standing up for me, Lau. Love you), RemeberingYesterday, Grinning-Loki-Locked (Thank you so so so very much, you have no idea what your words mean to me) and KiyUzumaki (What can I say? Seriously, guys, you are the best!). Thank you all for your encouragement, support and on going light. Bless you all.**

**Ok... very emotional... and very emotion chapter! I gotta say it's one of my shortest but I think the contents make up for that... or at least I hope they do LOL.**

**The song of the day (and you HAVE to listen to it while reading this and replay it as many times as possible until you finish reading) is: Love & War (With Choir) by Immediate Music.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT – AM I A ZOMBIE?**

"You have lost your mind, Loki if you think you thing you can defeat me" Thanos told him "Look at you… you are weak; your sword is destroyed…"

"But I have something you lack, Thanos" Loki replied

"You do?" The Titan chuckled "And what might that be?"

"Something to fight for"

Steve looked to his side at Loki and watched him with attention; he understood that, despite everything he had done he realized that, after all, Loki did truly love Emma.

Thanos lost his smile and growled at the two men who stood before him.  
Suddenly, Thor, the Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow stood by their side, ready to fight and defeat Thanos while Iron Man approached to Emma and helped her out with the Gauntlet.

"The strength of your team is not enough to…"

Before the Titan could continue, the Hulk reached out and punched him in the face, throwing him towards the broken window. Thanos held on to the ledge, avoiding falling out and then pushed himself back up while the heroes watched him.

"Your time is over, Thanos. Surrender now and you will live" Thor declared

Thanos looked at them feeling enraged and humiliated and Loki shook his head understanding the look the Titan was giving them.

"Surrender was never an option, is it, Thanos?" Loki said

"Never"

Thanos made a large, saber-looking sword appear and in a second, rushed towards them.  
Black Widow jumped up, dodging him and landing behind him, shooting him repeatedly in the back; it didn't really harm him but it distracted him, giving the others the chance to attack him.  
Thor threw Mjolnir at him, hitting him straight in the chest but the Titan, recovering quickly, lounged forward, slashing Thor's upper arm quite deeply.  
Believing to have the upper hand, Thanos then hit the god of thunder in the back, making him fall to the ground as he then hit Hawkeye in the nose with the hilt of the sword. But that wasn't enough to stop the archer. Taking one of his arrows, Barton spun around and nailed the poisonous arrow deep into the shoulder of the Eternal. Falling to one of his knees, Thanos saw Loki shooting another of his bladed disks at him, which sunk down into the Titan's abdomen.  
Captain America threw his shield directly to his face and after receiving the hit, the Hulk punched him under the chin, making him fly upwards and then crashing painfully onto the floor.

"That's what I'd call team work" Steve said as the team surrounded Thanos who struggled to scramble up to his feet

* * *

As the others did their best to beat Thanos to a pulp, Emma and Tony worked on the Gauntlet with the almost complete Tesseract in hand.

"I thought that thing could burn your skin off" She told him as she held the cube in her hands "It actually feels cold"

"It's probably because it's lacking a piece… by the way, how do you suggest we do this?" Tony asked her and she scoffed

"You're asking me? I thought you were the genius here"

"I am but since you are from… you know… Asgard… I thought you might know"

"Very funny, Anthony… ok… let's see…" Emma said putting the Tesseract down and taking the Gauntlet "He said we needed the power of the Tesseract to take it out… why would we need it?"

"Maybe he meant that, if we touch the Gem if could affect us… in some way…" Tony suggested

"Yes… because, even when it is a part of the Tesseract, it works differently… that's it! You're a genius, Tony!" Emma exclaimed

"Well, yes, I am… but… why?"

"Hand over the Tesseract" She simply instructed him and he did so, placing it carefully in her hand

He then saw her reaching for the Mind Gem; he immediately stopped her, holding her wrist "What are you doing?"

"Well, you just said that the Gem works in a different way so, I assume that what Thanos meant was that, in order to counteract the Gem's effect we need to be touching the Tesseract at the same time to channel the Cube's power into the Gem… right?" She seemed to be babbling but strangely enough, Tony understood everything she said

"Sounds reasonable… but I'm not gonna let you do it"

"Oh, yes, you are" She told him and without giving him any heads up, she reached out and touched the Mind Gem, shutting her eyes and keeping them tightly closed

"Emma, don't…" Tony hurried to say but then remained quiet as he saw how the Gem wasn't affecting her "Em… open your eyes"

"Am I a zombie?" She asked barely opening one of her green orbs

"Not that I'm aware of" He replied and then smiled as she fully opened them "You were right, kid"

"It was only luck… ok… now… how do I actually take it out?"

"Pull it out?"

"Ok… I'll try…" Emma doubted as she replied and then grabbed the glowing blue rock, trying to pull it out but it was as if it was welded to it "Nope… not working. I think we might need Thor for this…"

"No… wait… Emma" Tony interrupted her

"What is it?"

"Put the Gauntlet down" He said "Very carefully and stand behind me"

"Why? What is it?"

"Just do it, please"

Emma nodded and did as he told him. Once behind him she insisted "Tony, what's wrong?"

"The radiation levels suddenly started climbing up… this is not good… they keep rising"

"Wait… does that mean…?"

"It's going to explode"

"What did you just say, Stark?" Natasha asked and Emma and Tony realized the team had been listening

"How do we stop it?" Tony asked Thanos

"It is too late now… it doesn't matter if you have the Tesseract" The Titan smirked

"What is that supposed to mean?" Clint questioned

"Your retarded green friend here damaged the Gauntlet's control over the six Gems when he punched it"

"So what? It's just going to blow the helicarrier up?" Steve asked

"Not just the helicarrier" Tony said "This thing has enough power to destroy one half of the planet"

Panic spread all over the faces of the entire team while Thanos guffawed hysterically.

"No matter what happens, Avengers… your planet and everything you know will cease to exist" He condemned

"And you with it so you better tell us how to stop it" Thor threatened

"It is useless" They heard Loki say "If it explodes and we all die, including him, he will resurrect"

"Because he commands death…" Emma repeated almost in a whisper "What do we do?" No one spoke a word and Emma stared at them indignant "Are you going to do nothing? Are you just going to stand there and wait for human kind to disappear?"

"Emma, there's nothing…" Tony started but she cut him off

"No, there's got to be… there has to be some way to…" She insisted as her voice trailed off, her eyes focusing on the Infinity Gauntlet "Yes"

Emma ran from behind Tony and reached for the Gauntlet, much to everyone's surprise.

"Emma, no! What are you doing?" She heard them all shout at her but she chose to ignore them

"Loki…" She turned to him "You said… when you told us about the Gems… one of them has something to do with Space, right?" Loki made his way to her and looked deeply into her eyes as he nodded "We can send it off… somewhere far from any planet, where it won't hurt anyone"

"Is it possible?" Steve asked, joining them

"It might work… but… the Gauntlet does not work on its own… even if we activated the Space Gem…" Loki said

"Someone would have to go with it" Thor intervened

"I'd say we send this clown with it but… he wouldn't do what we want, would he?" Tony pointed out and they all shook their heads

While they all tried to figure out what to do, the Gauntlet in Emma's hand started shaking and emitting gamma radiation which Tony read.

"Guys, we're running out of time" He warned

"I'll do it" Suddenly the least expected one spoke up. The team turned to Emma as she stood there with the jeweled golden glove in hand "I will do it" She repeated

"What? No! You're out of your mind, Emma… you don't even know how this works… you couldn't…" Steve blurted out as the others protested with similar arguments

"One of the Avengers should do it" Tony proposed

"Hulk" The green beast said, volunteering

"No, I'll do it… I have to do it for Adrianna" Clint added

"Clint, that won't bring her back" Natasha told him

"I sacrificed once; I'm sure I can do it again" Steve said

"This all happened because of Asgard. I shall take Emma's place" Thor offered

As they all discussed who would do it, Emma and Loki stood there in absolute silence sharing their thoughts through their eyes.  
Emma's eyes filled up with tears as she looked up at Loki's face. He was giving her a small, sweet smile and she returned the gesture.  
With a nod, she knew it all had come to an end.

"It is time" Loki said mostly to Emma but everyone heard it

"Time? Time for what?" Steve questioned turning his attention to them

"To end this" Emma replied

And then, raising her free hand, she shot a large energy projection at the team, pushing them away from her while Loki remained next to her.

"Emma, what are you doing?" Tony shouted as he noticed a force field form around her and Loki "Emma!"

Emma looked up at Loki feeling him reach for her hand and caress it lovingly "I am sorry for everything I said" She told him

"No… it is I who is sorry…" He replied and then with his fingers, touched the violet gem of the Gauntlet, making it glow brightly "It is ready" He whispered and she nodded

He closed the distance between them and surrounded her waist with his arms as she passed her arms around his neck.  
Steve and Tony tried uselessly to breach the force field as they watched the lovers saying their goodbyes.

"Emma! Emma! Please!" Steve shouted

"Emma!" Tony repeated shooting rays at the blue dome

"I love you" Emma told Loki, a few tears rolling down her face

"And I love you, Emma… forever" He responded, his eyes also watering

Leaning down to her, Loki pressed his lips against hers and kissed her passionately, as if it was to be their very last kiss. It was their last kiss.

"Don't forget about me" He whispered against her lips and he felt her shaking her head

"Never" She sobbed "We will meet again"

"I lost you once and I found you" He grinned

"I thought I had been the one to find you" She stubbornly objected making him chuckle "Finding you is the best thing that has ever happened to me"

"You saved me, Emma… you brought me back to life"

Not being able to contain a sob, Loki leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead as she closed her eyes and reached out to touch his face.

Outside the dome, Steve and Tony suddenly saw Loki reaching out for the Gauntlet without Emma noticing.

"What is he doing?" Steve asked Tony

"I don't know…" He replied

Leaving Thanos under the care of the Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow, Thor rushed towards the dome "Loki!" He called

"Thor, what is he…?" Steve questioned

"No… no… don't do it!" Thor continued to shout

Inside, Emma felt the Gauntlet starting to slip off her hand and as Loki stepped away from her she realized that he had discreetly taken it from her.  
She widened her eyes and extended her hand, demanding it back.

"Loki, give it back" She said

"I am sorry, Emma… but I cannot see you die again… I will not" Loki told her holding on to the Gauntlet

"I'm not letting you do this… and if you insist, I am coming with you"

Loki chuckled and smiled at her bitterly "Not this time, Emma"

Emma saw him raising his hand and suddenly an unseen force coming from his palm pushed her away, making the force field disappear.  
Steve, Tony and Thor rushed to her as she stood up.

"Emma" Steve said but she wouldn't listen

She looked up and saw Loki touching the Space Gem again "Loki, no! Please!"

"I love you" He practically mouthed as a tear rolled down his face

He turned at Thor for a split second and after nodding at him, he returned his attention to Emma.  
In a matter of seconds, a violet light surrounded Loki and he started to vanish slowly.

"Loki! Loki!" Emma yelled desperately, tears flowing freely from her eyes. She tried to run to him but Steve surrounded her waist, holding her back "Let me go! Please! Loki! No! No!"

The last thing they saw of the god of mischief were his glistening jade eyes and then he was gone.

Emma breathed heavily and sobbed as she stared with wide eyes at the place where Loki had been up until a moment. She fought Steve's grip and he finally let her go. Rushing to the spot she fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands as her whole body shook.

"Loki… Loki!"

* * *

**IN THE NAME OF EVERYTHING WE HOLD DEAR! I can't say no more... I confess I cried and cried and cried like a hungry baby when I wrote this... not that I want you to cry but if you then that means my work here is done! *lmao***

**Anyways, thank you so very much for everything, you are the best fans and readers anyone could ever ask for! MWAH!**  
**Lost of love!**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxoxo**

**PS. The end is nigh...**


	30. 29 You Promised

**Ok, following the very bitter announcement, I've decided to finish posting my story today, just in case, not for me but for you. I owe it to you guys and I am not willing to let some pathetic excuse of a human being take that from any of you, of all of us.  
I want to thank:**

**LauDuJardin, RememberingYesterday, Grinning-Loki-Locked, KiyUzumaki, sassymagpie, SayaRavenHope, WillowDamon17, HoratiosGirl101, whynotlive (you are awesome), outthere101, Starcrier, jgal747, MoonLight Crystal, Phantom105, LLockedOut, SteveandSienna, PeterFlan, Leigh Tate, Berianireth of Lorien, AndoraBlack, AccioVoldemortsNose (you're too kind) and StepiLady, thank you all for all your support and your words and for putting up with this incredibly unnecessary and unwanted drama and for continuously reading my updates and for coping with my endless rambling and... *sigh* ok, I'm gonna save that for my goodbye note... which I will post in a second update right after I finish uploading this.**

**Meanwhile, let's forget about everything that has been happening since Saturday and let's just enjoy, ok? For this might be our last time together and I want to make the most out of it, ok?**

**The song of the day is: Atonement by Epic Score**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY NINE –YOU PROMISED**

Thor stood there without being able to move as he saw Loki, his little brother disappear along with the Infinity Gauntlet and the threat it constituted.  
He felt as if the air had left his lungs thinking about how he had sacrificed himself in order to save not only Emma but Midgard as well.  
He could barely hear Thanos' voice as the others took him away with the help of many of the agents who had by now, returned to normal.

The god of thunder also heard when Fury and Coulson rushed in and how Natasha explained everything while Banner returned to his natural human state and Barton left the bridge to retrieve Adrianna's dead body.  
The kind doctor Banner had walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, showing him his support but he had not had the strength to look back at him, fearing to break down at any second.

Then he focused his bright blue eyes on Emma. She continued to kneel at the same spot where Loki had disappeared from, her hands covering her face and her body shivering.  
Loki was gone, most likely dead and the woman who had risked everything to save his life was left alone with nothing but a kiss goodbye to remind her of him.

Finally looking at Banner, Thor nodded at him and the doctor understood, taking a step back and nodding in return.  
Thor then made his way to Emma and without uttering a word he put a knee down and placed one of his hands over her own.

Emma, feeling the touch of another person, uncovered her face and looked at Thor with her blood-shot, teary eyes; her chin wobbling as she tried to contain a sob.

"How dare he?" She suddenly mumbled filled with anger

"Emma…" Thor started, his own eyes welling up with tears

"How dare he do this to me?" She insisted "How dare he leave me?"

"Emma"

"It was supposed to be me… I was the one who… it was supposed to be me!" Emma shouted with all her might as Thor wrapped his arms around her shoulders "Stupid son of a bitch! How dare you? You promised me! YOU PROMISED ME!"

Her screams were heart breaking and Steve, Tony and Bruce watched how Thor held her close to his chest as she continued to sob and cry out for Loki while the god of thunder wept in pain.

Almost one hour went by before Emma finally stopped crying out and calling Loki's name. She was exhausted and the guys noticed this.  
Steve walked towards them and after receiving an approving glance from Thor, the captain took Emma in his arms and carried her out of the destroyed bridge.

While Bruce walked up to Thor, offering his comfort and support, Tony roamed around the ruined room thinking about everything that had happened and then, as he looked over to the floor, he saw something glimmering; some artifact shining through the rubble. Approaching, he bent down and picked the object in his hands.  
It was a ring. A simple gold band, too small to fit a grown man; it probably belonged to a woman and his suspicion was confirmed as he looked the inside rim of the ring, reading the single word that was engraved in the precious metal.

"Loki" He whispered and then realization hit him

"Stark" Bruce suddenly called him

"Yes" Tony replied, rushing to put the ring safely inside a small compartment of his suit and then turning around, noticing that Bruce was leading Thor out of the bridge

"I'm taking Thor out of here; are you coming?"

"Yes… yes, let's go"

With that, the Avengers left the area which had been their battle field and their mourning site as the recovered agents entered to fix everything, as their job commanded them.

* * *

His feet felt as iron as he walked down the corridors which led to the room where his love's lifeless body remained.

Clint's eyes felt heavy and he hoped that he could just close them and never had to open them again, wishing to be dead just like Adrianna so he could join her, wherever she was and maybe then, they could live the happy life they had always dreamed of.  
But he knew that was impossible. She was dead and all he had left was the memory of the little time they had had together.

Never in his life had he ever loved anyone the way he had loved her and his heart felt just as if someone had thrust their hand into his chest and pulled the vital organ out.

As he finally reached the small arsenal room a moment of insanity took place in his mind. He thought he would actually see Adrianna sitting up and welcoming him with that warm smile of hers but then, the bitter and painful reality hit him, making him regain his sanity, or what was left of it and realized that such a wonderful dream could never come true.

Pushing the door open, Clint wasn't able to hold back the sob that escaped from his lips as he saw Adrianna's bereft of life body. Her once flushed, beautiful skin looked grey and ghostly. He had to face it; Adrianna's soul had left her body long ago.  
He had lost her and life had taken her from him after so little of having found her again.  
It wasn't fair; not even when she might've thought so; she did not deserve to die. She was a good person who fought to defend and save all of those who needed saving and now fate decided it was not enough to let her live? Screw fate. Adrianna deserved to live a long happy life; even if it was not by his side. He didn't care. He didn't care as long as her heart started beating again.

Falling to his knees, the seemingly cold and heartless agent crumbled and wept with immeasurable sorrow, holding Adrianna's limp body against his chest, not wanting to let go.

"I am sorry, Nan… I am so sorry…" He sobbed, his face buried in her neck "Please, forgive me"

Clint spent the next few hours inside that little room, never letting go of Adrianna; not for a moment until he realized it was time to take her out of that lonesome, God forsaken place and to a place where she would be lauded as the hero she was; as the hero she had been born to be; as the hero she had died like.

* * *

"What is the death toll, Hill?" Fury asked

The helicarrier had been taken down to the ocean as soon as the crew conformed by the recovered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had regained their senses.  
Most of the flying/amphibian apparatus had been damaged along the fight that had ensued deep within its compartments but the vehicle was built strongly enough to endure such travesty.  
The director and his two most trusted agents stood before the shattered window at the front of the ship, looking over at the calm ocean ahead of them.

"It is surprisingly not overwhelming, sir." The dark haired woman answered "In Manhattan the toll is cero while in the rest of the country only four people lost their lives during the conflict"

"Globally?" The director questioned, his hands clasped behind his back, his tone monotonous, as always

"We are informed by our sister agencies that it doesn't rise above fifteen in total" Maria replied

"Good. Thank you, agent Hill" Fury told her "Perhaps you might want to go to the infirmary and have that wound checked up" He said looking over at her bleeding right brow

"Yes" She said, realizing her superior wanted a moment in private with Coulson "Thank you, sir" And with that, she was gone

For a few minutes, the stern colonel remained in silence and Philip Coulson understood very well what that silence meant. The director was a very stoic man but the agent knew that this silence was meant to be known as his manner of mourning.

"How many agents did we lose?" Fury finally spoke up

"Only a few"

"Moore among those few" Coulson nodded as Fury sighed "We should contact her family"

"They think she died in Oslo seven years ago, sir" Coulson informed

"Friends?" The agent shook his head in response "A pet? Nothing?"

"No, sir. She once said it: she lost everything the minute she stepped a foot on S.H.I.E.L.D."

"And Barton?" The colonel suddenly asked as Coulson furrowed in confusion "Is he still in the morgue?" Coulson nodded "How long has he been in there?"

"Since he took her there"

"How is he?"

"Bad, sir… Agent Moore was more than a friend to Barton… I believe it was no secret"

"No, it wasn't…" Fury said with sadness "She shall receive a memorial service fit for someone like her"

"Someone like her, sir?"

"A patriot, Coulson. A hero" He stated and with a nod, Coulson started to make his way out of the bridge "Coulson"

"Yes, sir?" He stopped

"Jansen?"

"I don't know, sir. I haven't seen her yet"

Director Fury nodded and said "Keep me posted"

* * *

"Emma…" Steve whispered, rubbing her back comfortingly but receiving no answer from her "Emma"

The sun had set several hours ago and Steve had been with Emma for almost four hours, watching her rock back and forth as she wept silently. She hadn't uttered a word in all that time and her eyes looked as if void of any life. She was distraught.

Steve thought that it was only understandable for she had lost the very most important person in her life; she had been undone.  
Everything had lost its meaning for her because, no matter how hard she had fought to defend what she believed in, in the end, she had lost.

But as much as he tried to sympathize with her, Steve couldn't let her grieve to her own death; he loved her too much to see her do that to herself.

"Emma, please…"

"I want to be alone" She suddenly told him, not looking at him

"I know and I understand but I don't think…"

"I want to be alone!" She insisted, her voice rising

"I'm sorry but that is the one thing I'm not willing to do for you right now" Steve said with conviction, making her look at him

But the look in her eyes scared him; she wasn't herself. She was angry and outraged and she was ready to take it out on the closest human being possible and in this case, that human being was Steve.

"Get out! Leave me alone!" Emma yelled at him

"No" He replied, standing his ground

"Go away! Go… just go away!" She started hitting him in the chest with her fists and Steve did nothing to stop her, knowing that she needed to vent out all the pain and sorrow that were corroding her inside out "You let him die! You let him push me away so he could take my place and die!" She continued as Steve looked down at her with a pained expression. He hated to see her like that but if that was what she needed to feel better, so be it "You let him die!" She repeated, this time lower and without hitting him anymore "It should have been me… it should've been me!"

Her arms went limp as she leaned against Steve's chest and continued to cry while he surrounded her frail, trembling body with his arms.

"Shush…" He whispered stroking her hair "Shush…"

After a few minutes, Steve was able to calm her down. He then placed her back on the bed and then lay next to her, embracing her tightly.

"I'm sorry" He heard her suddenly say

"About what?"

"About hitting you… and blaming you" Emma explained coyly

"Don't apologize, Emma… I know what you're feeling… and if by hitting me and blaming me you feel better, then do it; I don't mind, as long as you are alright" Steve told her kindly

"Thank you, Steve… but I will never be alright… not after this…"

"You don't know that, Em. You might be stronger than you think. Even stronger than any of us Avengers"

"I wish that was true"

"It is" He reassured her "You are the strongest person I have ever met and probably the most obstinate, as well"

"You should have met my mother" She replied and then leaned her face on his chest, falling inevitably asleep

* * *

_Emma felt as if she was falling through time and space. She couldn't see anything around her for there was no light to show her where she was; all she could sense was the running wind rushing by her ears and nothing more._

_But she wasn't scared. She hardly felt anything anymore but the sensation of free fall gave her a sort of tranquility she thought she wouldn't feel again.  
Guilt washed over her as Loki's green eyes appeared in her mind. She had let him down; she had distrusted him and then he had died for her, proving that he really, truly loved her. She had lost him. He was gone._

"_Eira" A deep, yet soft voice called. It sounded ethereal and distant yet soothing and familiar "Eira" The voice repeated_

"_Who is it?" She ventured asking_

"_My darling girl" Emma now realized the voice was that of a woman _

_Emma then noticed she had stopped falling and that she was standing in a dark room until the hall was filled with the light of hundreds of candles.  
The ceilings were high, the walls were of the most beautiful and pristine shade of ivory and a tall throne rose at the end of the hall to which a dark violet velvet carpet led.  
The energy manipulator stood at the end of the carpet almost at the foot of the magnificent double doors and far from the throne._

"_Where am I?" Emma wondered out loud spinning around trying to take the majestic room in_

"_Home" The woman who Emma now saw sitting on the throne replied_

"_Home? New York is my home… and this is definitely not New York"_

_This made Emma look at the woman. She had long auburn hair which curled at the ends and was garnished by small flowers that seemed to have diamonds in their centers. Her eyes were big and long, dark lashes framed her dark green irises. Her nose was straight and her skin fair, almost pale but a light blush covered her cheeks and her rosy, pouty lips parted revealing a perfect smile. Emma stared at the woman in shock; she was almost identical to herself only that much more beautiful and seemingly perfect._

"_Home is where the heart is, is it not?" The woman asked "But your heart is not really in Midgard" Emma elevated her chin stubbornly "Come, dear. Come closer"_

_With slight hesitation Emma started walking forward and it was then when she realized that she wasn't wearing her S.H.I.E.L.D. dark grey tracksuit; instead she was wearing a long, flowing dark blue dress with long sleeves and the shoulders coming down on her shoulders.  
A fine embroidered detail in gold thread ran at the hems of the sleeves and the neckline along with a thin belt in the same tone.  
Her hair was down in a very similar manner as the royal woman in front of her only shorter. How had that happened?_

"_Am I dreaming?" Emma asked making her way to the throne_

"_I suppose you could call it a dream, yes"_

"_And where am I, in this dream?"_

"_Do you not remember your home, Eira?"_

_Emma frowned at this and then she thought of a possibility although she then realized how silly it was._

"_Well, I am sure this is not Asgard" She scoffed and the woman nodded "Is this… Vanaheim?"_

"_Your home" The woman smiled sweetly "And do you know who I am?"_

"_Freyja… my mother" Emma said without really thinking as she stopped a couple of feet away from the throne where the woman was sat_

"_I have missed you, my dear child" The Vanir, goddess of love and fertility said standing up and rushing to embrace her daughter. Emma felt something inside of her that made her raise her arms and return the embrace with the same emotion "You have been so brave, my love, so brave…"_

"_Why am I here? Why now? Why not before?" Emma questioned, tears filling up her eyes_

"_After you were mortally wounded by Fenrir so long ago and Odin healed you, he consulted with me before sending you off to Midgard. The two of us were the only ones who knew you were still alive and we decided it was for the best… but it came with a price: we could never try to see you in anyway under risk of alerting the enemy, Fenrir in particular about your survival…" Emma looked down in pain but Freyja reached out and lifted her chin softly "It was the biggest sacrifice I had ever had to do, Eira but I would gladly do it again if it meant you would be safe"_

"_I couldn't save Loki" Emma suddenly said_

"_I know, my love… we know what happened" The goddess stroked Emma's long auburn hair tenderly "You know… he spoke those very same words after he lost you"_

"_But I didn't die… I just… I went away… but he… he took the Gauntlet with him when it was about to explode… he could not have survived to that"_

"_Miracles happen, dearest" Emma furrowed her brow at Freyja's words while the queen of the Vanir smiled "My dear girl… I can feel the love you have for Loki. It is undying and unyielding, perhaps… if you believe, you will see him again one day"_

"_You truly believe that?" Emma asked, her eyes full of hope and her mother nodded "So, you think there's a chance he could still be alive?"_

"_That I do not know, my love. What I know is that, if he is, he is waiting for you to find him, just as he found you after all those many years"_

_Looking down in thought, Emma realized of what her mother was saying; hope dies last._

"_What should I do?" She asked_

"_Never cease to look for him; never surrender to despair"_

"_Why did you summon me, mother?"_

"_I want to offer you the chance to come back home; with your family; where you belong"_

"_Here? To this realm?" Emma questioned with hesitation "But… what about my life in Midgard? My job, my friends…"_

"_You are not forced to do anything you do not wish to do, my love. I only want you to know that you are welcome to come whenever you desire so; this is, after all, your home"_

"_I… I need to think about it… I can't just forsake everything I have and love in Earth"_

"_I know, dear" Freyja smiled once more caressing her youngest daughter's cheek "I never thought I would see you again, Eira, my dearest girl… but, whatever your choice I thank Valhalla for giving me this moment with you…" Emma couldn't help to smile back as more tears rolled down her face "I know you are suffering, sweetheart but I also know that the strength of your father resides within your heart and that, one way or another, you will find the solace you seek, whether it is in Midgard with your friends of here in Vanaheim with your family…"_

"_Thank you, mother" Emma heard herself say_

"_Whatever you decide, I will be with you always"_

_Freyja leaned forward and kissed Emma's forehead…_

* * *

With a jolt, Emma sat up, waking up from her long and meaningful dream.  
She didn't feel scared or startled for this hadn't been the first time someone from the other realms had gotten in touch with her through her dreams but having the chance to finally meet her real mother had touched a very soft spot in her heart.

Looking to her right she saw Steve soundly asleep and breathing deeply as he rested from the last few days' ordeal.  
Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that, if she chose to accept Freyja's offer, he might never see him again.

Was she ready to lose another important person in her life?

* * *

**Once again thank you so much and click forward to read the epic ending of this story LOL (yeah, I wrote it, I can call it epic since I cried through all the last 5 chapters LOL).**

**Lots of love and for the very last time:**

**ASSEMBLE!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**

**PS. I didn't have the time to double check this and the next chapter fearing to get suspended from the site so, if you find more mistakes than usual, please, forgive this mangled author.**


	31. 30 We Will Meet Again, My Friends

**It's me again (nooooo, really? LOL)  
****  
To HoratiosGirl101, gallowsCalibrator92 and Horizon Gus Watson who commented on my announcement, thank you so so so very much.**

**And I want to thank a very special reader/reviewer and that's LauDuJardin because she, somehow manages to stand up for me every single time I need it and she's just the most amazing human being in this world; she's my sister and my best friend.**

**Ok... so... this is the last chapter... with a small surprise at the end (more like a promise, really, which will eventually come true as soon as this whole mess I was pushed into is solved).  
I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it.**

**Oh, and just so you know, this site doesn't let us write announcements which I find to be absolutelly unfair because we have the rigth to let you guys know what's going on and you have the right to know! So, screw them! LOL (I'm just out of control right now, sorry...)**

**I shall continue with my rambling at my end note so...**

**The last 2 songs are: Undying Love by Two Steps From Hell for the chapter and It's Not Goodbye by Laura Pausini as the general soundtrack, as if you were listening to it during the credits, if this was a film LOL.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTY – WE WILL MEET AGAIN, MY FRIENDS**

"We have been informed that a strange toxic chemical released as smoke during a drill at a concealed governmental facility in the Mariana Islands was the main cause of the global crisis. The pandemonium started at 23:15 hours, New York time of last Saturday, the 19th of October. The federal government has avoided giving any statements but the agency responsible for the leak of the chemical, which we don't have the name of, has taken full accountability of the incident and has issued a public apology in the shape of a letter and commandos of different factions of the country's national security have been deployed not only throughout the United States of America but also to many other neighboring nations. Having in mind the magnitude of the catastrophe, the death toll announced by the British Minister of Defense is astoundingly low; only rising to twenty lost lives. The still mysterious group of self-proclaimed super heroes The Avengers are said to have been part of the principal immediate response team which kept the threat at bay; if anyone doubted of their allegiance, this humble anchorman believes it is time for you to start believing in super heroes once more."

This was the general opinion of the world's newscasters as well as most of the governments of the world's countries.  
Five days had gone by since Thanos had been stopped and locked in a top secret location, very far from the city of New York. Weapons specialists, engineers and scientists alike had worked together to find the right way to keep the Mad Titan imprisoned for the rest of eternity and after that, the plans and blueprints of the design had been destroyed to prevent any leakage of information to potential enemies.

Tony had reunited with Pepper as soon as he had flown out of the helicarrier once Thanos had been defeated. After spending a night in the hospital (under Tony's insistence) she had seen Coulson to whom she claimed not to remember anything of what had happened in the past days just like every single victim of Thanos' mental control.

Bruce had been one of the scientists who had hastily worked on the prison suited for the Mad Titan and also he had taken on the job of leading the medical section of the agency, following Fury's command, due to Emma's leave of absence.

Natasha had spent a few days abroad dealing with the international aftermath of the entire ordeal. She was the one who had persuaded the British Minister of Defense to say what he had stated a few days back.

Clint would spend his days and nights locked up in his room going over Adrianna's belongings. He had gone to her apartment the day after her demise to collect everything he thought to be too personal for the staff of S.H.I.E.L.D. to see. Some pictures of them together were among those things as well as some tokens of her younger days and souvenirs of her family. It was taking every ounce of his rationality not to put a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger; he was beyond comfort and the others knew it.

As for Thor, he had spoken to Fury sometime after Loki's death. He had decided to return to Asgard as soon as Adrianna's memorial service was held and, sympathizing with the god's pain, Fury had put no objection to that.  
The eldest son of Odin mourned his brother for a second time in his life, thing he never thought would come to pass. The very last thing he had expected when he had asked Loki to return to Midgard with him was that it would mean the death for his little brother. He had seen Emma and had spoken to her but, whenever they did so, they tried their best not to mention Loki. They were both aware of each other's pain and the last thing either of them wanted was to make the other suffer with the memory of their loss.

Steve had fulfilled his administrative duties which, being the Avengers' leader, he was bound and obliged to do.  
But even when it had taken him sometime to finish with that bureaucratic nonsense, he had made sure never to leave Emma alone for more than an hour or two.  
In the few days after her loss, Emma had become incredibly attached and even dependent of Steve and he knew it wasn't just because of that missing piece in her heart but also because she trusted him and she knew he would do anything to keep her safe, even if it meant from herself.  
Still, he had to admit that he had also seen another side of her; yes, she was in pain and that was plain to see even for the dumbest of people however, he realized that she would spend most of her time deep in thought as if trying to make a decision of some sort.  
The noble-hearted captain was aware that, apart from the fact that Loki had died for her, every single thing that had happened since the arrival of Fenrir to the Earth had contributed to the 360° change Emma was experiencing in her life:  
She had learned about her true origins; she had discovered her true identity and with that had come special and unique abilities; she had fallen in love with one of Earth's worst enemies; she had been faced with the very same creature that had ended with her previous life; she had fought for and saved many lives, his included; she had risked her life recklessly and quite often just to make sure everyone around her was safe and then she had been forced to lose everything that she had held so dear. Emma had been forced to grow up too fast since a young age after HYDRA's attempt to control her and now, an adult woman, Emma had been forced to face the greatest pain anyone could ever suffer.

It was not fair. Life was not fair and Steve knew it more than anyone but that didn't mean he had to like it or even condone the results of destiny.  
Good people shouldn't have to suffer so much.  
Good people shouldn't have to sacrifice everything in exchange of nothing.  
Emma was a good person. No; she was the best of all and yet fate had decided to play a cruel and snidely trick on her.  
It was killing Steve to know that, no matter what he said; no matter what he did, nothing could ever mend Emma's heart.

* * *

Emma sat at the edge of the roof of the S.H.I.E.L.D. tower.  
The sun was setting, bathing the busy city with its golden, purple and pink rays which reflected on the top of Manhattan's tallest skyscrapers.

Her eyes wandered across the horizon, watching the birds fly back home for the night, to their families; to their loved ones.

She couldn't help to realize it had been up there where Loki had once dared her about her identity…

"_You are jealous"_

"_Jealous? Me? Pluh-ease!" Emma exclaimed "Who could I be jealous of?"_

"_Eira" _

With a bitter scoff, Emma wiped away the tear that had sneaked onto the corner of her eye. She had never actually admitted to it but Loki had been right that night; she had felt the sting of jealousy poisoning her insides when he had first told her that he loved her and then he had said he loved her because she had once been Eira; not for herself.  
She was jealous of that perfect creature everyone who knew her seemed to fall smitten with. Everyone had expected her to be like Eira and she had been so reluctant and stubborn about it that she had actually been oblivious to the fact that she was refusing to be herself.  
She would never be able to deny it; as much as she attempted to. She was Eira; she had been born as such and she would die as such.

From everything both Thor and Loki had told her about her previous life she was well aware that she hadn't changed a bit. The only thing that differed from her past life was the name and the immortality; in every other aspect, she had remained the same; and now that she had lost Loki she wished she could have told him that.  
After all, he had been the one who had fought the hardest to make her realize who and what she was in reality and she never thanked him for it.  
She never really thanked him for anything.

Emma took a deep breath and felt the cold autumn air fill her lungs but it was not the only cold thing she felt inside of her. In the moment she had last seen Loki's eyes she had felt as if her heart had frozen and then shattered into a million pieces and what pained her the most was that, if she had actually trusted him; if she had never stopped believing in him, none of this would have happened and Loki would still be alive, with her and she wouldn't be feeling as the barren desert she had turned into after he had left.

Another cold, wild wind blew her way as some tears left her green eyes but this time, the air felt different, as if it was actually aimed at her for it brushed against her skin, dragging the tears off her cheeks as a hand would.

"_Your skin is warm…"_

She remembered Loki telling her as she had reached out to touch his cold face.  
He then had lamented the fact that he had been born a Jöttun and that someone like him could never be worthy of a Vanir like Eira; like her.  
If only she could tell him how sorry she was. If only she could tell him that if one of them two was the unworthy one, it would be her.

Unlike everything everyone had ever told her of him, Loki had never lied to her and all he wished was for her to be at his side, no mattering what.  
But in her stubbornness she had often driven him away. Just like before, the thought of jealousy returned to her; it was probably her insecurity and her jealousy towards Eira which had made her push him from her.

She feared she would never reach everyone's expectations; that she would never succeed to fill Eira's place not only with her abilities but also in her loved ones' hearts.

There were so many things that had been left unsaid between her and Loki and she would have done anything to be able to at least ask for his forgiveness.  
But it was too late. She had lost the only man she had ever truly loved. It had all been her fault and there was nothing she could do to take it back.

"I'm sorry, Loki… I am so sorry…" She whispered looking up to the darkening sky

"_I love you"_

The memory of his voice seemed to be playing tricks with her mind as she heard those three words being whispered into her ear.  
Looking to her side, Emma wasn't even disappointed as she found no one and yet, she was sure it had been his voice.

"And I love you, Loki" She replied and blew a kiss up at the sky hoping that, wherever he was, he was watching over her

* * *

"Adrianna Elizabeth Moore" Fury read out loud, starting the service

The Avengers, Emma, Coulson, Maria Hill, agent Jasper Sitwell and even Pepper were gathered around Adrianna's coffin at a remote cemetery in upstate New York.  
Only a handful of people had attended the memorial due to the agency's hardcore secrecy and Adrianna's strong sense of privacy.  
Her parents and her younger sister thought her dead and she had had no other friends than those who now guarded her lifeless body.

"She was a brave woman; the bravest amongst us all. She joined S.H.I.E.L.D. in the hopes of helping human kind; to protect those who needed to be protected" The director paused for a moment and looked at Clint "To save those who needed to be saved. She believed in a better world, I know that for a fact and she was the worthiest member this agency has ever seen. Adrianna has left us too soon bequeathing an honorable heart and a loving memory. Adrianna Moore was so much more than an agent; she was a daughter, a sister, a friend" He stopped barely a second to look at the Avengers "A colleague" Maria, Jasper and Coulson nodded slightly "A confidant" Natasha wiped a tear off her face "A hero" He stated as he set his gaze upon Clint who held a single white rose in his hand "Adrianna was the best" Fury gulped holding back his tears "Adrianna Elizabeth Moore was the best of us all"

Sobbing quietly, Emma reached out to take Clint's hand and she felt him hold hers tightly in return.  
After Fury had concluded his speech, the attendees started walking by the coffin, leaving the roses they had brought for her, one by one.

Tony and Pepper walked hand in hand to the top of the casket as they both laid their white roses on top of the closed wooden lid.

"I'm going to miss you, Crimson Tide" Tony said sadly, calling her by the super hero name he had given her

Bruce was next "Take care of us while you're up there"

"It was an honor to fight beside you, Adrianna" Thor whispered resting the rose over the lid

Natasha walked slowly to the casket and placed the rose over it "Thanks, Nan… for everything… you were the closest thing I ever had to a best friend"

Emma and Steve walked to it then, both placing their roses over the coffin. Emma put a hand over the lid and smiled softly "We would be dead if it wasn't for you"

"We owe you our lives" Steve agreed

After the two of them had walked away, Fury, Maria, Coulson and Jasper paid their respects to their fellow agent and then, Clint walked forward, taking very slow steps towards the wooden box which contained his beloved's dead body.

Everyone remained silent as they saw their friend mourn and grief over the woman who had been the love of his life.

For a few minutes, the heart-broken archer stood there, hanging on to the rose in his hand and running his calloused hand over the lid until the right time came and he decided to speak.

"Nan… I can't… I can't go on without you…" He sobbed "How do you expect me to live knowing that… that I will never see you again?" Leaning down, he rested his head on the coffin "How can I go on?" Of course, the answer he yearned for never came "You will always be here" He continued as he pointed at his head "And here…" Then at his heart "I will never forget you, Nan… never and I promise one day we will meet again…" He swallowed hard feeling a lump in his throat "I love you, Nan… I love you" Clint straightened up and rested his rose over the top "You are free now, Nan… you are free"

After a while, the grave takers carefully lowered Adrianna's final resting place onto the dugout lot and then started shoveling the earth back into its place, falling over the dark wooden coffin.

As they all walked back to the cars, Emma looked back and saw Clint still standing in front of the grave. Calling Steve's attention, she nodded at the captain and made her way back to her archer friend while Steve waited for her over at the car.

Carefully, Emma approached to Clint until she was stood beside him.

"So this is how it feels, then" He suddenly said, still staring at the mound of dirt which had taken the hole's place. He heard Emma sigh as she replied

"I suppose" She shrugged and then held his hand "I am so sorry, Clint… I know how much you loved her…"

"I did…"

"Fury was right, you know?" Emma softly said, making him look up at her

"About what?"

"She was the best of us all"

Managing to form a smile, Clint nodded at Emma grateful for her friendship and support.

* * *

Later, Natasha had driven Clint back to the tower along with Bruce and Thor while Tony and Pepper left in their own car and Steve and Emma rode together.

The two of them remained eerily quiet as the trees flew by due to the speed of the vehicle.

Emma continued to think about Loki but also about Freyja, her mother and the offer she had made her.  
The thought had returned to her mind because Thor had announced the team that he would be leaving that same night.

She had made an incredible effort not to beg him to stay; she had grown too close to him during his time on Earth and after losing Loki, she wasn't sure she'd be able to lose Thor as well. But she had remained silent throughout the announcement and had nodded in agreement as she felt the remains of her mangled heart turn into no-repairable ashes.

Steve would glance back at Emma every once in a while trying to decipher the look of pain which had covered her face like the very same shadow of death.  
She hadn't noticed but he had seen her reaction when Thor had told them about his departure later that day. He immediately understood that now life was making her lose another important person for her and all he could do was watch her with sadness and helplessness.

Once they reached the city, Steve decided to break the silence:

"How was Barton, back there?" He asked and she turned to face him

"As it can be expected" Was her answer

"Of course" Steve nodded "And how are you?"

"Me? I… I'm alright, I think"

"You think?" She shrugged "You are thinking about Thor's departure, aren't you?"

"I can't help it" Emma said with sadness "This place won't be the same without him"

"I understand"

"You do?"

"Yes… he is not only my colleague, Emma. He's my friend"

"I never thought about that… I thought you guys just…"

"Well, we are not as affectionate as women but we are friends" Emma couldn't help to smile softly at that as Steve continued "As I know he is your friend"

"He is… more than a friend, you know? He's… he's like my brother, like Tony, or Clint, or Bruce…"

"And me?" He suddenly asked her and he saw her breathing heavily at this

"You… you are more than a friend but I don't see you as my brother" She spoke honestly "I love you, Steve… I love you as more than a friend and you know that… but…"

"Loki" Steve said without thinking and he immediately regretted having uttered his name "Emma, I'm sorry, I…"

"Don't apologize… it's alright…" She looked down at her hands which rested on her lap "It's not because of him or what it could have been, Steve…"

"Then…?"

"I am broken inside" She confessed bereaved "I don't think I'll be able to love again, at least not the way I once did… and you deserve so much more than that…" He lowered his head but she reached out and made him look at her "You are the best man I have ever know and I feel blessed to have been loved by you"

Turning his head, he planted a soft kiss on the palm of her hand, in gratitude for her words.

* * *

The rest of the day went horribly fast for Emma and she couldn't help to feel that everything around her was beginning to fall apart.

After they had arrived from the cemetery, she had gone straight to the room she had been occupying for the past week and had spent the entire afternoon sitting on the bed, reminiscing of the happier times of her life. She was amazed how, in a second, life could be turned upside down and alter so much what one had once expected from it.

A knock on the door brought her out of her mental mourning and as she rubbed her eyes, trying to hide any sign of weep off them, she called "Come in"

"Hey, gorgeous" Tony said as he walked in, bringing a weak smile up to her lips

"Hi" She replied as she saw him closing the door "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check on you… we haven't really talked since… well, you know"

"It's very sweet of you, Tony but I'm fine, I promise" She lied and he noticed

"Emma, your soul is so pure you can't lie… you should know that by now" This made her chuckle but only for a second for she then lost her smile completely "What can I do to see you smile again?"

"Bring him back" Emma practically begged with a sob

Tony sat down next to her and pulled her to him, holding her close as he ran a hand through her hair "I wish I could, kiddo… I would do it if I could, I swear… just to see you happy… but I can't…"

"He died because of me, Tony… it's my fault"

"No, Em… never say that" He pulled away but held on to her arms "You listen to me: Loki made a choice. He chose to save you. He chose to sacrifice himself and die to save you. He died for you, not because of you and I am sure he would want you to move on"

"You know he wouldn't have wanted that" Emma managed to joke and Tony smiled at her

"As much as I hate to admit it, there was some good inside Loki's heart and it was all for you"

As Emma looked down, she saw a very familiar object in Tony's hand and she widened her eyes at the sight of it "Where did you find that?"

"At the bridge, after… after everything was over" He replied "At first I didn't know what it was or whose it belonged to but then, I read the inside rim"

Tony placed the ring on her hand and she read the name engraved "Loki" With a forlorn smile, Emma held it up to her chest tightly "He had his when he left… it had my name on it"

"I assumed as much" Tony nodded "You should wear it proudly"

With a nod, Emma slid the ring onto her finger and then hugged Tony as she whispered "Thank you"

* * *

The moment had come.  
Thor stood in the middle of one of the bridges in Central Park where no other human, aside from the other Avengers dared to come near.

Bruce had spent several days working on the Tesseract and had determined that, even though it had been left incomplete, it still retained the power to open portals across the universe.

So now, with that problem out of the way, Thor was ready to return to Asgard with the promise to come back whenever his beloved Midgard required his aid again.

First, he shook hands with Banner who wished him a safe journey; then came Clint and Natasha as they thanked each other for their support during the battle.

Tony walked up to the tall god of thunder and amicably shook hands with the deity "It was nice having you around, Viking"

"Thank you, Stark" Thor replied and smiled at the man of iron as he turned to where Steve and Emma stood "Rogers, thank you so much for your help"

"No, Thor, thank you. Make sure to be ready to return soon" Steve said as they clasped their hands together

"I will" The god looked over at Emma whom he had never seen looking so frail and vulnerable "Emma"

"Take care, Thor, please" Her voice quivered from the sorrow

"Do not fret; I will" He took her hand and kissed the back of it "Thank you so much for everything you did for me and… for Loki"

She couldn't stop herself. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly as he returned the gesture with as much emotion as her.

"I'm going to miss you so much" She told him into his ear

"And I you, Emma"

They remained like that for a few minutes until they heard Bruce clear his throat "I'm sorry, guys… it's time"

Emma nodded and finally let go of Thor who looked as distraught and discombobulated as her. She looked up at him and felt him remove the tears from her face, making her smile.

"Take care, Emma" He told her and after a nod he walked back to the center of the circle

Steve reached out and pulled Emma back next to him, never letting go of her hand as they saw Bruce handing Thor the glass canister with the Tesseract inside which would take him away from Midgard and back to his home, Asgard.

"We will meet again, my friends" He promised as he put his hands in place

Emma then realized what she wanted to do. It had suddenly become very clear for her.

"Thor, wait!" She called and everyone looked at her with puzzled looks "I'm coming with you"

"What?" They all, except for Thor, asked in unison

"Emma, have you lost your mind?" Tony questioned

"No… Yes… Maybe…" She replied

"Do you know what is out there?" Bruce inquired

"Think about this, Emma… you might have been one of them once but you are human now…" Clint added

"You can't just leave" Natasha pointed out

But Emma wouldn't listen to them. She looked over at Thor who nodded at her in agreement and then she turned to Steve.

He stood there in complete silence staring at her with those beautiful blue eyes.  
Walking up to him, she reached out and held his hand, squeezing it lightly.

"You understand, don't you?" She asked him and after a moment, he nodded

"It's what you need to do" Crying, she stood on her toes and embraced him

"Thank you…"

"I love you" He replied and after pulling away he saw her nodding. For seconds they looked deep into each other's eyes and then they kissed incredibly tenderly on the lips

After parting, Emma hugged her other friends goodbye and with tears in her eyes, walked over to where Thor awaited for her.  
The god of thunder held her hand and smiled down at her as they both looked forward at their friends one last time.

They turned the handles of the canister as the Tesseract's energy started engulfing them.

"Thor!" Steve called, gaining their attention "Take care of her"

Thor smiled and nodded "With my life"

And then, seeing them one last time, the power of the Cube created a portal which sucked them upwards, to Asgard, far away from Midgard.

Bruce, Natasha and Clint made their way back to the cars still baffled by what had happened while Steve remained in his spot, looking up at the sky, as Tony approached to him.

"You are a great man, my friend" The multibillionaire genius told him and the captain looked at him with a small yet sad smile on his face

"Thank you, Mr. Stark"

"But definitely not greater than me" Tony added as he patted his colleague and friend on the back "C'mon. I'll buy you a drink" He said as he led Steve back to the cars

"You are aware, Mr. Stark, that it takes more than just one drink to get me drunk, right?" Steve replied playfully

"Ah, yes, I do realize… that's why I only offered to buy you one drink" Tony responded, emphasizing the amount and making Steve laugh lightly

As they got in the car, Steve couldn't help looking up to the sky one last time wishing and hoping that, wherever Emma was, she could find the happiness she was looking for.

* * *

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**He, he... you better keep reading because this doesn't end here... MWAHAHAHAHA!**

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

The space was too big, too cold, too desolated, too lonely, too infinite…

Pieces of golden scrap metal floated aimlessly far from each other as six precious stones wandered nearby.

The lack of consciousness had left him roaming through the star loaded space, along with the absence of gravitation force.  
Scratches in both of his pale, long hands; a deep cut in one of his legs and a grave gash on his hairline, where the raven met the white, were his wounds along with a few invisible ones. His black, gold and green attire slightly torn in a few places and his black hair a little messed up but in spite of everything, he was still himself.

The precious stones drifted in the same direction as him which was an undetermined one but oddly enough, one of the six stones had found its way to his left hand, where a golden ring embellished the once prince's fingers.

Suddenly, the rock hit the surface of the ring and as it did, a green glow emerged from the stone as the once prince of Asgard shot his eyes open, his very own eyes glowing in green.

* * *

**Ok, so this is how it's going to work:**  
**I've already started a sequel, the moment I finished this I started so... I'm leaving this as it is and I'm opening a new account; you can look me up with the name of AngelicaLeighton87 and there is where you will find the sequel as of tomorrow.**  
**If you are interested, follow me where prejudice and hatred does not exist.**

**Don't let anyone destroy your dreams and your creations because if you do, you are just as bad as them.**

**Thank you all so very very much for everything and I hope to be seeing you very very soon with the sequel: 'Heart Of Fire'.**

**ASSEMBLE for justice, fellow readers and writers... and for my sequel too, why not? ;)**

**Lots of love!**

**Angie.**  
**xoxoxo**

**PS: just a little reminder: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR EMMA JANSEN AND ADRIANNA MOORE.**

**PS2: You know what? I've changed my mind... I getting physically sick because of all of this. I will not grant this site another one of my stories as good or as bad as they are. If you guys want to read the sequel, please, email me and I will gladly send you the chapters as if I were updating in the site. I don't know if it is allowed but if it isn't, I don't care anymore, send me a pm to let me know who wants it. Thank you to all of you who do.**

**PS3: I've changed my mind again because I've been getting alot of amazing and supportive PMs and reviews...  
I will continue posting but not just yet. Give me a few weeks because I seriously don't feel well right now. I promise, nay, I swear I will return very very soon.  
I am removing the announcement I made, because I will not be like the "so-called person" and break as many rules as she wants. And I want to thank RasetsuRyu because she is actually making an effort to help people become better writers.  
I don't know if my account will be suspended but if it does then you can find me under the PenName I mentioned earlier in this note.  
**


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